Conurbation

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A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities, large towns and larger urban areas that, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. It is thus a polycentric form of agglomeration. A conurbation is easily confused with a metropolitan area. A metropolitan area actually consists of many neighborhoods, while a conurbation consists of many different metropolitan areas that are very close to or connected with one another. Most of the time these separate metropolitan areas that make up a conurbation are somehow dependent on each other and in conjunction economically and socially, hence the formation of one conurbation. A conurbation is something which has always been around, but we have seen an increase in conurbations in the era of globalization. Conurbations have increased for many reasons, including:

Globalization, which has brought the world closer physically and socially
Relocation of businesses and corporations outside city boundaries
The loss of the centrality of the city
Migration away from the city due to crime and greater affluence of suburbs
Exportation of labor moved industries away from cities

1 Examples of Conurbations
2 Long Term Concerns
3 See also
4 References

Examples of Conurbations

The Randstad

The Randstad, which is a densely populated area in the Netherlands consisting of a cluster of the four biggest cities of the country and several smaller cities, towns and urbanized villages, is another appropriate example of a conurbation. The Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium, by contrast, is an ordinary type of agglomeration centered on one city.

United Kingdom

For many years the United Kingdom has produced many conurbations, approximately 25. The most populous conurbation in the United Kingdom is the Greater London Urban Area, which totals approximately 8.2 million residents. Since the United Kingdom is having a problem with Conurbations it has enforced something called a Green Belt, which creates a ring around an urban area that is set on resisting urban expansion.

Greater Los Angeles Area

The Greater Los Angeles Area Conurbation in southern California has over 15 million inhabitants. There are 5 counties, which are included in this conurbation, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura and there are more than 170 separate municipalities.

Long Term Concerns

Many ecologists and researchers are concerned that the continuation of urban sprawl and the continued development of conurbations across the world will begin to destroy the natural landscape. By overtaking the environment we are disrupting the natural cycle of the surrounding ecosystem and in turn destroying many living habitats. This can lead to the decline in the well being of our soil and land, which we rely so heavily on. Ecologists and researchers also believe that by creating many urban conurbations we have started to greatly diminish the amount of natural resources that we have, due to two factors. The first being that we are industrializing land that holds many valuable natural resources. Second, we are using much more of the resources left to run the new industries and the mass amount of automobiles that are being used. The resources will continue to decrease and we may soon face a major dilemma in our world. The expansion of our urban areas has increased the separation between individuals and their places of work. This has placed a very high emphasis on the automobile and in turn can cause problems in our atmosphere and it makes families/individuals spend more money on gas and car expenses, instead of something more important. This has started to lead to the social and economical separation of classes. We have seen many upper-class and middle-class families move out of the main city and move into suburban-city gated communities, which promise to keep the crime out. This has led to much animosity by certain types of people and led to much stronger tension and disconnectedness between social and economic classes.