As anyone who's raised an eyebrow upon hearing that Los Angeles is technically more dense than New York can attest, making city-to-city comparisons can be a confounding endeavor. Nate Berg goes in search of a uniform way to define the city.
According to Berg, a new report from the OECD
may help lead the way to more sensible city comparisons. "In 'Redefining
'Urban': A New Way to Measure Metropolitan Areas,' authors Monica
Brezzi, Mario Piacentrini, Konstantin Rosina, Daniel Sanchez-Serra
propose the concept of 'functional urban areas' that are based on
population density and travel-to-work flows. Basically, it's a measurement of population and interconnected economies."
"The authors of this report argue that their definitions could help to
create a standardized concept of urban areas as economic units. They've
already applied this methodology to each city in 28 OECD countries with a
population greater than 50,000, totaling more than 1,100 cities."
"An internationally recognized definition of urban areas as functional
economic units can better guide the way city governments plan
infrastructure, transportation, housing and schools, space for culture
and recreation," the authors write.
Read the full story: In Search of a Uniform Way to Define the City
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