Greater Bilbao
Greater Bilbao (Basque: Bilbo Handia, Spanish: Gran Bilbao) is a metropolitan area of Biscay, Spain. It is also called Metropolitan Bilbao and is constituted by a set of municipalities along the Nervion River ending at its mouth, that due to their growth have gotten physically united looking like a single city (see conurbation), plus some satellite towns.
Geography
With over 900,000 inhabitants (Bilbao municipality, 353,000), Greater Bilbao is the sixth most populated metropolitan area in Spain. Almost 80% of the population of Biscay and 43% of the population of the Basque Country concentrates in the Greater Bilbao area. The region's municipalities, as defined by the Basque Country's Territorial Directives, are: Abanto y Zierbena, Alonsotegi, Arrankudiaga, Arrigorriaga, Barakaldo, Barrika, Basauri, Berango, Bilbao, Derio, Etxebarri, Erandio, Galdakao, Getxo, Górliz, Larrabetzu, Lejona, Lemoiz, Lezama, Loiu, Muskiz, Ortuella, Plentzia, Portugalete, Santurtzi, Sestao, Sondika, Sopelana, Ugao-Miraballes, Urduliz, Valle de Trápaga-Trapagaran, Zamudio, Zaratamo and Zeberio.
On a wider sense, other towns outside the formal boundaries of Greater Bilbao can be considered part of the metropolitan area. These towns include Mungia, Lemoa, Amorebieta, Durango in Biscay; Laudio in Alava and Castro Urdiales in Cantabria.
The area is structured into different zones:
- The city of Bilbao: The main business and services hub of the metropolitan area, with roughly 40% of its population.
- The left bank: Traditionally an industrial, port, and manufacturing zone. It includes Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalete or Santurce.
- The right bank: A residential area, including Erandio, Leioa, and the more afluent Getxo,.
- The mining zone, where the main iron ore resources were located: Muskiz, Gallarta, Ortuella
- Txoriherri, wide expansion zone where the international airport and the University of the Basque Country are located.
- Hego Uribe, including Basauri, Galdakao or Arrigorriaga.
- Uribe-Kosta: the coastal area north of Getxo is being integrated into the metropolitan area in the recent years, with the development of low density residential areas connected by the metro.
Urban Regeneration
The Bilbao Ria 2000 corporation was founded in 1992 by the Bilbao and Barakaldo municipalities, the Greater Bilbao metropolitan area, and the Basque and Spanish Governments. The corporation's aim was to regenerate the city-planning of Bilbao and its surroundings, which were heavily punished by intense industrial contamination and decay. Among the projects this institution implemented was the recovery of Abandoibarra, once an industrial ground and now the site of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Euskalduna Palace.
In parallel to Bilbao Ria 2000 , the Bilbao Metropoli-30association was constituted in 1991 by the City council of Bilbao, the Biscay and Basque Governments and diverse public and private organizations for the regeneration of Metropolitan Bilbao.
The area is since 1995 fully interconnected by the Metro Bilbao.
Municipalities of the Bilbao Metropolitan Area
- Greater Bilbao Area (35 municipalities)
| Abanto y Zierbena | 18.0 km² | 9,503 | 527.9 /km² |
| Alonsotegi | 16.0 km² | 2,745 | 171.6 /km² |
| Arrankudiaga | 20.8 km² | 4,018 | 193.2 /km² |
| Arrigorriaga | 22.8 km² | 12000 | 341 /km² |
| Barakaldo | 24.3 km² | 95,260 | 3,920.2 /km² |
| Barrika | 7.8 km² | 1,337 | 171.4 /km² |
| Basauri | 7.2 km² | 44,052 | 6,118.3 /km² |
| Berango | 8.8 km² | 5,904 | 670.9 /km² |
| Bilbao | 41.3 km² | 354,145 | 8,551.4 /km² |
| Derio | 7.4 km² | 5,030 | 679.7 /km² |
| Etxebarri | 3.3 km² | 7,707 | 2,335.5 /km² |
| Erandio | 18.0 km² | 23,338 | 1,296.6 /km² |
| Galdakao | 31.7 km² | 29,594 | 933.6 /km² |
| Górliz | 10.2 km² | 4,882 | 478.6 /km² |
| Getxo | 11.9 km² | 82,687 | 6,948.5 /km² |
| Larrabetzu | 21.5 km² | 1,647 | 76.6 /km² |
| Leioa | 8.5 km² | 28,858 | 3,395.1 /km² |
| Lemoiz | 14.3 km² | 925 | 64.7 /km² |
| Lezama | 16.5 km² | 2,287 | 138.6 /km² |
| Loiu | 15.3 km² | 2,205 | 144.1 /km² |
| Muskiz | 20.8 km² | 6,682 | 321.3 /km² |
| Ortuella | 7.7 km² | 8,554 | 1,110.9 /km² |
| Plentzia | 6.3 km² | 3,949 | 626.8 /km² |
| Portugalete | 3.2 km² | 49,788 | 15,558.8 /km² |
| Santurce(Santurtzi) | 7.2 km² | 47,155 | 6,549.3 /km² |
| Sestao | 3.5 km² | 30,350 | 8,671.4 /km² |
| Sondika | 6.3 km² | 4,300 | 682.5 /km² |
| Sopelana | 8.4 km² | 11,469 | 1,365.4 /km² |
| Ugao-Miraballes | 5.2 km² | 4,060 | 780.8 /km² |
| Urduliz | 7.8 km² | 3,241 | 415.5 /km² |
| Trapagaran | 13.1 km² | 12,580 | 960.3 /km² |
| Zamudio | 18.1 km² | 3,176 | 175.5 /km² |
| Zaratamo | 10.0 km² | 1,624 | 162.4 /km² |
| Zeberio | 47.1 km² | 1,027 | 21.8 /km² |
| Total | 494.7 km² | 907,362 | 1,832.2 /km² |
- Satellite towns (6 municipalities)
| Amorebieta | 16,800 |
| Castro Urdiales | 26,800 |
| Durango | 26,131 |
| Laudio | 18,623 |
| Lemoa | 2,831 |
| Mungia | 14,052 |
| Total | 98,437 |
| Total Met. Area | 1,005,799 |
