Urban spatial structure in OECD cities: Is urban population decentralising or clustering?

This paper presents an analysis of urban spatial structure and its trends in the OECD between 2001 and 2011, by using a standardized definition of functional urban areas (FUAs) in 29 OECD countries. The prevalent trend is an increasing decentralization of the population, with growth taking place outside existing cores, but close to them. Overall, results are consistent with a pattern of contiguous growth. The population has grown more in relatively low‐density locations close to the main centres. Closeness to sub‐centres also proves to be a strong advantage for growth and suggests the emergence of new centralities shaping urban spatial structures.