Stowarzyszenie Metropolia Poznań (Polish), The Poznań Metropolis Association (English) was established in 2011 and it consists of 23 local government units, including: the City of Poznań, the Poznań Poviat, 17 communes of the Poznań Poviat and four communes from the neighboring poviats. The aim of the Association is to support the idea of local government and protect the common interests of its members, in particular to support socio-economic development and cooperation of local governments. The association is mainly involved in initiating cooperation between local governments in such areas as EU funds, developing the idea of a metropolitan railway, urban mobility and integration of public transport, spatial planning and systematic improvement of the quality of life of residents.