Urban Region of Barcelona
| Population | Area(km²) | Density | |
| Barcelona | 1.605.602 | 100 | 16.056 |
| First Zone | 1.555.479 | 533 | 2.918 |
| Second Zone | 1.437.738 | 1.362 | 1.056 |
| Third Zone | 729.053 | 2.273 | 321 |
| 5.327.872 | 4.268 | 1.248 |
The population of the Urban Region of Barcelona is 5.327.827 (INE, 2006), and covers an area of 4.268 km².
It is defined by the ATM (Metropolitan Transport Authority), which divides the Region in several concentric zones, to everyone the public transport fixes its tariff.
The Zones
- First Zone: it is the official Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. In it, the majority of the cities form a continuous urbanization with the capital. It includes cities as: L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona or Santa Coloma de Gramanet.
- Second Zone: considered as metropolitan adjacent area. It forms a belt of cities: Vilanova i la Geltrú, Vilafranca del Penedès, Martorell, Terrassa, Sabadell, Granollers, Mataró and their respective areas of influence. The Generalitat projects the interconnection by means the Orbital Railway Line.
- Third Zone: considered territory of consolidated expansion. In this one the expansion passes to be of radial type, spreading across fluvial corridors or depressions, as in case of Manresa, Igualada and Vic, or continuing the coast, as in case of Blanes and El Vendrell.
The Transport in the Urban Region
The Integrated Railway Network (Red Ferroviaria Integrada) covers the service for the region. It is composed by:
- Underground of Barcelona and Tram. Urban and Metropolitan.
- Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat. Urban (underground lines: 6, 7 and 8), Metropolitan and Regional.
- Renfe Rodalies. Metropolitan and Regional.
The land use mosaic
- Built areas: cities, residential housing, industrial areas and infrastructures.
- Woody vegetation: in the main Nature Reserves and protected zones as: Parc del Garraf, Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç de Munt i L'Obac, Serra de Collserola, Parc del Montnegre i el Corredor and others.
- Open land: especially vineyards and irrigation, though mostly it is an area capable of urbanizing.
Polynuclear Urban Region
| Population | Area(km²) | Density | |
| Barcelona UR | 5.327.872 | 4.268 | 1.248 |
| Tarragona Area | 397.395 | 656 | 606 |
| Girona Area | 326.589 | 1.081 | 302 |
| 6.051.856 | 6.005 | 1.008 |
According to the EURBANET project it speaks about polynuclear urban region when there exists a series of important urban centers that relate intensely among them and to the exterior. This one is the case of bordering zones to the urban region that they extend around the cities of Tarragona and Girona. They are areas with a great economic dependence and services to the capital. They are narrow corridors well communicated to Barcelona, both by highway and railroad, which there fuse the metropolitan areas of these cities with the urban region. The PUR of Barcelona would rely on so 6.051.856 people in an area of 6.005 km ².
For 2009 it is foreseen that the distance Tarragona-Girona by AVE (Spanish High Velocity Train) has a duration of ~55 minutes, minor time that the necessary one to cross the distance of the future 9th line of the Barcelona Underground.
U.R. Municipalities. Population and area
First zone
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Second zone
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Third zone
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P.U.R. Municipalities. Population and area
Tarragona area
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Girona area
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