Functional Urban Area
Urban center
Urban cluster
Acceptor
Donor
Stable
Rural cluster
Acceptor
Donor
Stable
How to use this map
Search and explore Uzbekistan's Functional Urban Areas: their boundaries, area types by the degree of urbanization (urban-rural), and commuting patterns (acceptor-donor). Use search, move the map, zoom in and out, and hover the mouse on the areas of your interest to see their boundaries. If you have any questions, reach out to us via email: [email protected]
Background
Uzbekistan is undergoing a period of rapid urbanization and chaotic urban growth and expansion, while its cities are struggling to become the drivers of economic growth and improved well-being largely as they are poorly managed and undersupplied with infrastructure, basic services, and amenities. The government of Uzbekistan has recognized the importance of tackling the challenge of urban expansion and moving to a better-managed model of urban growth. As a part of this new approach, the World Bank is supporting the Government of Uzbekistan with a loan to finance the Medium-Size Cities Integrated Urban Development program which combines investment in infrastructure and livability in id-size cities with capacity building at the national level to support government’s effort of managing urbanization better. The initiative includes plans to develop a country Urbanization strategy that should underpin the National Medium-size cities program and define investment and policy priorities in urban development for the years to come. In order to develop a better understanding of how cities comprising the system of cities in Uzbekistan functionally interact and connect, and inform infrastructure and service provision investments as well as critical national reforms for urban development, the World Bank is carrying out a spatial analysis including an analysis of population mobility.
Description
This is a result of Habidatum’s mobile network (Beeline Uzbekistan) depersonalized data analysis under an assignment of the World Bank. The purpose of this report is to bring the attention of policymakers to the importance of integrating vast urbanized territories that emerged as a result of a chaotic urban build-up expansion in recent years around major urban centers of Uzbekistan and to inform infrastructure investment decisions that could support spatial integration and further the socio-economic development within these expansive urban agglomerations of FUAs (Functional urban areas).For that, we define the boundaries of FUA around 6 largest urban centers (Tashkent  and Chirchiq, Samarqand, Namangan, Denau/Denov, Urgench) based on the commuting patterns that indicate the extent of the catchment area of the city’s labor market. We then classify areas within each FUA. Area classes themselves may signal certain development needs and strategies.For example, acceptor areas attracting workers but not yet as populated and diverse as urban centers, may become the main targets in polycentric development strategy in the role of secondary centers. Or, donor areas losing population in competition with larger urban centers located far away, may be seen as development targets in terms of reducing commute, either through developing alternative job concentrations and workforce magnets or through developing high-speed connections with the existing far away urban centers.
Definitions that we use are specified below:
• Data sources: mobile phone data or mobile network data or telecom data or telco data or cell phone data (synonyms) and relevant abbreviations; GIS data produced by online maps, such as Google or Open Street Map (includes road network mapping, venues, and addresses, main settlements); census and other official statistical sources.
• Local unit: administrative unit (district, region).
• Commuting zone: local units (districts) or grid-level areas, passing the commuting flow thresholds to the urban center of the FUA.
• Urban center: a set of contiguous, high-density (1,500 residents per square kilometer) grid cells with a population of 50,000 in the contiguous grid cells.
• Functional urban area (FUA): funcational urban area is a combination of a densely inhabited urban center and a commuting zone, itdentified above. The boundary of the FUA forms a single contiguous area.
• Area class: class of the area (cluster), based on two distinct classifications:
  • Degree of urbanization:
   • Urban center: see above;
   • Urban cluster: contiguous (using eight-point contiguity) 1km grid cells with a density of at least 300 inhabitants per km2, with a collective population of at least 5 000 in the cluster;
   • Rural cluster: contiguous (using eight-point contiguity) 1km grid cells with a density of at least 300 inhabitants per km2, with a collective population of at least 500 in the cluster;
• Population dynamics (based on the difference between nighttime and daytime population):
  • Stable cluster/area: area, where % difference between nighttime and daytime population is less than a set threshold;
  • Acceptor cluster/area: area, where the nighttime population is larger;
  • Donor cluster/area: area, where the daytime population is larger.
Spatially, the general pattern for all FUA is the prevalence of donor clusters surrounding the urban center. Acceptors and stable areas can both be adjacent to urban center (as in the case of Samarkand and some others, see further descriptions below) or be located further away (smaller-sized clusters, forming local labor market nodes).

It is important to note that each cluster class presence and development plays its role in balanced FUA development:
• Donor of daytime population: concentrates labor force, may need better connection to jobs (acceptors, centers), local job alternatives (supply of services and associated jobs), and comfortable amenities supply that would allow people consume services not only in the places of work (centers and acceptors) but also in their living areas. Developing fast and easy transportation services between these areas is also essential;
Areas where the delta between daytime and nighttime population is not significant (stable clusters) may be considered as targets for commercial services development, both for the local residents and workers, which would not only increase the comfort of life, but also generate more jobs, so that a stable cluster can gradually turn into an acceptor/secondary center;
• Acceptor clusters, in their turn, already are attracting workforce, and with further development of commercial density and diversity, may complement urban centers as secondary nodes of socio-economic activity, and be the drivers of polycentric FUA development.