agglomeraties

An agglomeration, or agglomeratie in Dutch, is a densely populated urban region that consists of a central city and its surrounding suburbs and towns connected by a continuous built-up area. The core city and its periphery share infrastructures, housing, and labor markets, creating a single functional urban space.

Key characteristics include high population density, integrated transportation networks, and close economic ties across municipalities. Residents often commute across municipal boundaries to work, study, or access services, linking housing markets, retail, and industry. The urban area behaves as a single economic and social system despite administrative divisions.

There is no universally fixed administrative boundary for an agglomeration. The term describes the spatial extent of the urbanized area, which can differ from official metropolitan or regional borders. Related concepts include the metropolitan area, urban agglomeration, conurbation, and functional urban area (FUA). In Dutch planning, agglomeratie can refer to the core city and its suburban municipalities, as seen in large circuits like the Randstad.

Governance often involves multi-level cooperation, with metropolitan authorities, regional planning bodies, and inter-municipal agreements coordinating transport, housing, and land use to manage growth and infrastructure demands.

Prominent examples of large agglomerations include the Randstad in the Netherlands, the Greater Tokyo Area, Greater London, and the Île-de-France region around Paris. Agglomerations are a major focus of urban policy because their size and connectivity influence productivity, housing demand, transportation systems, environmental impact, and social inclusion.