Rezumat/Abstract. The main aim of this paper is to compare some of the most prominent international methodologies for the delineation of metropolitan areas and to identify the one most suitable for the Romanian context, that would more accurately reflect socioeconomic relations in existing functional urban areas and would better inform spatial analysis and policy implementation than the methodology currently in use. To this scope, I apply the most common international methodologies at national level and compare their internal consistency. I also describe in short the main metropolitan governance models.

Cuvinte cheie/Key words: functional urban areas, commuting, metropolitan governance, GIS

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