The Metropolitan Area and its neighbours

Lyon’s inter-territorial cooperation in the light of its instruments

Rachel Linossie, collectif, junio 2026

Plateforme d’observation des projets et stratégies urbaines (POPSU)

The Lyon Metropolis, a fully-fledged local authority established under the MAPTAM Act1, embodies a paradox: its fixed institutional boundaries do not correspond to its actual catchment area, a ‘metropolitan archipelago’ where mobility flows, environmental challenges and economic dynamics transcend administrative boundaries.

In *La Métropole et ses voisins*, Rachel Linossier and her team explore how Lyon is implementing an innovative inter-territorial governance model, combining joint associations, flexible agreements and intermediary agencies to move beyond the centre-periphery model.

The book reveals a form of cooperation with variable geometry, in which political trust and reciprocity become the keys to a resilient metropolis, capable of responding to the challenges of the ecological and social transition.

Para descargar: popsu_lyon_4_the_metropolis_and_its_neighbours_analysis_and_summary_en-gb.pdf (240 KiB)

A metropolitan archipelago in search of coherence

Although the Lyon Metropolis has extensive powers, it faces a geographical reality: its institutional boundaries do not cover its entire catchment area, which extends well beyond the limits of Greater Lyon to include the Dombes, the Monts du Lyonnais and the Dauphiné plain. This disconnect between administrative boundaries and the territories as actually experienced by residents poses a major challenge: how can one govern an area where mobility flows, environmental issues and economic dynamics transcend institutional boundaries?

Historically, relations between Lyon and its neighbours have been characterised by mutual mistrust, fuelled by fears of Lyon’s hegemony. Yet the interdependencies are very real: the metropolis has developed thanks to its surrounding areas, and vice versa. Platforms for dialogue, such as the Lyon Urban Region (RUL), once made it possible to reach consensus on strategic issues (water, transport, agriculture), before disappearing, leaving a void in inter-territorial regulation.

Cooperation mechanisms: between rigidity and flexibility

To address this complexity, the Lyon Metropolis has developed a varied toolkit, combining formal instruments with flexible mechanisms. The 18 joint associations remain the dominant tool for technical management (energy with Sigerly, planning with Sepal, management of aquatic environments with Symalim) . Their strength lies in their ability to bring together entities with varying legal statuses (municipalities, departments, the metropolitan authority, EPCIs) whilst offering financial flexibility. However, for politically sensitive issues, such as waste management, the Lyon Metropolitan Authority favours bilateral agreements or charters, thereby avoiding the deadlocks inherent in integrated structures.

The transport sector perfectly illustrates these tensions. Sytral, a former joint association, has long suffered from conflicting interests between the central city and the Rhône department. To remedy this, a Local Public Establishment (Sytral Mobilités) was created in 2022, modelled on the Île-de-France system. This new framework aims to achieve a unified fare system and coherent planning across the department, whilst preparing major projects such as the metropolitan RER, in close collaboration with the Region.

Intermediary agencies, such as Urbalyon (urban planning) and Aderly (economy), play a key role. They provide neutral forums of expertise, facilitating technical dialogue and planning (via the inter-SCoT) beyond partisan divides. Conversely, the dissolution of the Pôle Métropolitain in 2022 shows that alliances based on a simple ‘political club’ logic remain fragile, vulnerable to changes in electoral fortunes.

Project-based cooperation : between reciprocity and tensions

Project-based cooperation between the Metropolis and its neighbours is organised through joint associations or agreements, based on principles of reciprocity and shared interests.

However, these collaborative efforts do not rely solely on legal instruments. Above all, they depend on political will and the ability to forge a shared vision. The metropolitan RER project, for example, requires an unprecedented convergence between the Region and the Metropolis, within a framework of ‘ shared governance ’.

Territorial intermediation : a lever for a metropolis built on trust

Territorial intermediation is based on a system of links and actors (institutions, organisations, individuals) that regulate relations between territories. Elected representatives and technical officials act as facilitators, drawing on their networks of mutual understanding to bridge divides.

Rachel Linossier argues for moving beyond the centre-periphery model in favour of a ‘ metropolis built on trust ’, where relationships would be more horizontal and balanced. Reciprocity agreements, inspired by other metropolitan areas (Brest, Nantes), enable tailored bilateral collaborations, such as those signed between Lyon, Villeurbanne and rural municipalities.

Conclusion : towards solidarity-based and adaptive cooperation

The book demonstrates that the diversification of tools — from rigid joint associations to flexible agreements — opens up new prospects for the Lyon metropolitan archipelago. The ecological transition (land use efficiency, water management, short food supply chains) could necessitate new forms of territorial reciprocity that are more horizontal and agile.

“ The future of our metropolitan areas will not hinge on absorbing our neighbours, but on the ability to forge reciprocal agreements and ‘win-win’ projects. ”

As the metropolitan executive’s new term of office begins, inter-territorial relations in Lyon are at a turning point. There are increasing signs of strategic cooperation, driven by ecological and social transitions. It remains to be seen whether these developments will be continued and deepened.

1 MAPTAM Act (Modernisation of Local Public Action and the Strengthening of Metropolitan Areas). A French Act of 2014 which established ‘metropolis’ status for large conurbations, granting them enhanced powers (spatial planning, economic development, transport, etc.) and fiscal autonomy. In particular, it transformed the Lyon Urban Community into the Lyon Metropolis, a single local authority with a fixed boundary.

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