Bucharest metropolitan area

The Bucharest Metropolitan Area (Romanian: Zona Metropolitană București) is a metropolitan area project formally established since 2016 that includes Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, and surrounding communes. If completed, it would have a population of about 2.4 million,[8] only slightly larger than that of the city proper (2,0 million). It would also be a member of the METREX network.[9]

Bucharest Metropolitan Area
Metropolitan area
Bucharest skyline
Bucharest skyline
Bucharest (in red) and Ilfov county (in orange)
Bucharest (in red) and Ilfov county (in orange)
Country Romania
CountyIlfov, Călărași, Ialomița, Dâmbovița, Giurgiu
Largest cityBucharest
Component localities40 (first stage)
62 (intermediate stage)[1]
Functional2016[2]-2017[3]
Area
(first stage)[1]
 • Total
2,011 km2 (776 sq mi)
Population
 (2011 census)[1][4][5]
 • Total
2,402,163 (first stage)
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
GDP
 • Metro€66.0 billion
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
0 S NNNN1
Area code+40 x12
WebsiteBMA official site
1S is the number of the Sector, and NNNN is used to differentiate between streets and/or subzones.
2x is a digit indicating the operator: 2 for the former national operator, Romtelecom, and 3 for the other ground telephone networks.

According to Eurostat, Bucharest has a functional urban area of 2,412,530 residents (as of 2015).[10]

History

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The "Metropolitan Area" project has been initiated in 2003.A survey in 2008 showed that about 70% of the population of the area favors the project.[11] The city proper has now 228 km2, but the metropolitan zone would reach 1,800 km2 in a first phase.[1] A possible name for it will probably be "Greater Bucharest".[12]

In an initial stage, the zone would include Bucharest and Ilfov County.[1] Then, there are several plans to further increase the "Metropolitan Area of Bucharest" to about 20 times the area of the city proper (from 228 km2 to 5,046 km2). It would include 6 cities and 87 communes from the Ilfov, Giurgiu and Călărași counties, and would extend all the way towards the border with Bulgaria in the south, and towards the Prahova County in the north. In an intermediate stage, the extension of the zone would include 62 out of the proposed 93 candidate localities.[11] The "Bucharest Metropolitan Area" may become the biggest port on the Danube upon completion of the Danube–Bucharest Canal.

The enlarged "Metropolitan Area" Council will have 105 councilors, twice as many are now, and the Government will appoint a governor, a position which would be homologized to the prefect of Bucharest.

Subdivisions

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Hierarchy of planning bodies[1] Major localities Area
(first stage)
Population[4]
(first stage)
Area
(intermediate stage)
Population[4]
(intermediate stage)
Bucharest 228 km2 1,883,425 228 km2 1,883,425
Ilfov County (all localities) 1,285 km2 388,738 1,285 km2 388,738
Voluntari 37 km2 42,944 37 km2 42,944
Pantelimon 69 km2 25,596 69 km2 25,596
Buftea 55 km2 22,178 55 km2 22,178
Popești-Leordeni 56 km2 21,895 56 km2 21,895
Bragadiru 22 km2 15,329 22 km2 15,329
Chitila 13 km2 14,184 13 km2 14,184
Otopeni 32 km2 13,861 32 km2 13,861
Măgurele 45 km2 11,041 45 km2 11,041
Giurgiu County (11 localities) 656 km2 65,825
Bolintin-Vale 41 km2 12,929
Mihăilești 69 km2 7,923
Călărași County (5 localities) 295 km2 23,492
Fundulea 23 km2 6,851
Dâmbovița County (3 localities) 206 km2 16,059
Ialomița County (2 localities) 56 km2 4,054
BMA 1,811 km2 2,272,163 2,726 km2 2,381,593

Economy

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In 2020 Bucharest's gross metropolitan product was €61 billion. This puts Bucharest in 37th place among cities in European Union.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Map of the BMA". 13 June 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  2. ^ "BMA will be extended to the Danube". 13 June 2011. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016.
  3. ^ "BMA ready in 10 years". 7 May 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Population at 20 October 2011" (in Romanian). INSSE. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "ZONA METROPOLITANĂ BUCUREŞTI ÎN CIFRE Capitala ar câştiga peste 430.000 de locuitori". adevarul.ro. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  6. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". www.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions". ec.europa.eu.
  8. ^ "Adevarul: The BMZ in numbers". Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  9. ^ "METREX - The Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas". Eurometrex.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  10. ^ "Population on 1 January by age groups and sex - functional urban areas". Eurostat. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  11. ^ a b [1] Archived August 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Zona Metropolitana Bucuresti ar urma sa se intinda pana la Dunare" (in Romanian)
  13. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat".
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