Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The notion and definition of Labour Market Areas (LMA) has been internationally debated, especially in the OECD and Eurostat context. This interest derives from the need to identify new functional spatial units which are economically integrated and within which residents can find jobs based on a reasonable commuting effort. The aim of this paper is firstly to evidence the importance of defining functional regions by summarizing its conceptual and methodological background and some of its implications for the development of both geographical theory and practice. Secondly to present the Portuguese experience of defining LMA (or Functional Urban Regions – FUR) by comparing the methodology and the results obtained with national and Eurostat approaches.

Keywords

Functional region Labour Market Areas travel to work areas self-containment

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Massey

. The conceptualization of place, In D. Massey & P. Jess (Eds.), A Place in the world: Places, cultures and globalization (45–85). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1995; p. 54.

OECD. Definition of Functional Urban Areas (FUA) for the OECD metropolitan database. 2013.

Klapka

Halás

. Conceptualising patterns of spatial flows: Five decades of advances in the definition and use of functional region, Moravian Geographical Reports. 2016; 24(2): 2-11.

Johnston

Gregory

Pratt

Watts

. The Dictionary of Human Geography, Blackwell Publishing Ltd; 2002.

Ferrão

Mourato

Balula

Bina

. Regiões Funcionais, Relações Urbano-Rurais e Política de Coesão Pós-2013 (Relatório Final), POAT/FEDER/ICS, Lisboa; 2012.

Massey

. For Space. SAGE Publications Ltd. London; 2005.

Franconi

D’Alò

Ichim

. Istat implementation of the algorithm to develop Labour Market Areas – Technical Report – Eurostat Grant on “EU-TTWA method: improvements, documentation and sharing knowledge activities”, ISTAT, Italian National Statistical Institute, Italy; 2016.

Eurostat. Urban Europe – statistics on cities, towns and suburbs – working in cities – Statistics Explained Internet. Ec.europa.eu. 2017 cited 10 January 2017. Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Urban_Europe_%E2%80%94_statistics_on_cities,_towns_and_suburbs_%E2%80%94_working_in_cities&oldid=291877.

OECD. Redefining territories: The Functional Regions, Paris; 2002.

10.

OECD. Document GOV/TDPC/TI (2009) 5: Working party in Territorial Indicators – Defining and measuring world-metro regions: issues and proposed methodology; 2009.

11.

Coombes

Bond

. Travel-to-Work Areas: the 2007 review. London: Office for National Statistics; 2008.

12.

Pisco

. Migrações Pendulares – Unidades Geográficas de Emprego; Ministério do Planeamento e da Administração do Território, Lisboa; 1997.

13.

Pereira

. Bacias de Emprego em Portugal Continental, Revista de Estatística n

{}^{\circ}

4, 1

{}^{\circ}

quadrimestre de 1997, INE, Lisboa; 1997.

14.

Coombes

Green

Openshow

. An efficient algorithm to generate official statistics report areas: the case of the 1984 Travel-to-Work Areas in Britain, The Journal of Operational Research Society. 1986; 37(10): 943-953.

15.

Eurostat. Task Force on Harmonized Labour Market Areas – Final Report. European Commission, Eurostat; 2015.

16.

ESPON. Espon 3.4.3 The Modifiable Areas Unit Problem – Final Report. The Espon Monitoring Commmittee and the partners of the projects mentioned; 2006.

Defining Labour Market Areas and its relevance from a statistical perspective: The Portuguese case 1 2

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References