The Bucharest Metropolitan Area (Romanian: Zona Metropolitană București) is a metropolitan area project formally established in 2017 that includes Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, and surrounding communes. If completed, it would have a population of about 2.4 million, only slightly larger than that of the city proper (2,0 million). It would also be a member of the METREX network.
According to Eurostat, Bucharest has a functional urban area of 2,412,540 residents ().
History The "Metropolitan Area" project was initiated in 2003. A survey in 2008 showed that about 70% of the population of the area favours the project. The city proper has now 228 km2, but the metropolitan zone would reach 1,800 km2 in a first phase. A possible name for it will probably be "Greater Bucharest"."Zona Metropolitana Bucuresti ar urma sa se intinda pana la Dunare"
In an initial stage, the zone would include Bucharest and Ilfov County. 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. 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 Hierarchy of planning bodies Major localities Area(first stage) Population(first stage) Area(intermediate stage) Population(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 In 2020 Bucharest's gross metropolitan product was €61 billion. This puts Bucharest in 37th place among cities in European Union.
References
External links springerlink.com "Metropolitan Zone of Bucharest will be ready in 10 years" "Official site of Metropolitan Zone of Bucharest Project" 9am.ro wall-street.ro romanialibera.ro The Bucharest Metropolitan Area (PDF)