The Concept of "Metropolitan Area"
梳理西方大都市区的概念和定义，强调其由劳动力市场界定，认为中国尚未形成典型大都市区但条件已具备，并介绍了多中心城市区域概念。
Since the understanding ofMetropolitan Areain Chinese academia is vague,the authors reviewed the concept and definition of western MA and emphasized it is defined by labor market.As a spatial organization pattern forming in market,MA can realize high efficiency of urban labor market,land market and transportation system.The authors think there are not typical MA in China but the forming conditions have emerged.Urban planning can promote the forming of MA.At the end of the paper,the authors introduced the concept of city-region,a multi-central MA.