The Golden Age of the Metropolises

A story to shed light on the present

Loïc Vadelorge, febrero 2026

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

Para descargar: popsu_transversal_5_the_golden_age_of_metropolises_analysis_and_synthesis_en-gb.pdf (250 KiB)

From colonial origins to contemporary metropolises : a complex genealogy

The term ‘metropolis’ has its roots in ancient Greece, where it referred to the mother city that founded colonies. Revived in the 19th century to describe French colonial power, it subsequently came to mean a provincial capital, before being secularised to refer to the main city of a region. It was this meaning that DATAR adopted in the 1960s with the ‘metropoles d’équilibre’, intended to rebalance the national territory.

In France, the MAPTAM and NOTRe Acts (2014–2015) officially recognised 22 metropolitan areas, but the term remains polysemic : it refers sometimes to an administrative reality (EPCI), and sometimes to an economic dimension (globalised cities). Loïc Vadelorge shows that this ‘metropolitan’ trend masks a persistent ambiguity between these different meanings.

Metropolitan space-time : between territorial roots and legacies

The French metropolitan areas, established by the laws of 2014–2015, have chosen names that reflect their territorial ambitions: some emphasise their central city (Bordeaux, Brest), others their regional dimension (Aix-Marseille, Rouen), and still others their cross-border ties (Lille, Strasbourg). These naming choices reflect a desire to establish a strong presence within their urban regions, breaking with the notion of a disconnect between the central cities and their peripheries.

A major contemporary challenge lies in traversing metropolitan areas : how can we reconcile mobility (a modern concept) with transport (a legacy of the Trente Glorieuses) ? Metropolitan areas have, in fact, inherited a dependence on major infrastructure (bridges, motorways, rail), which weighs heavily on their spatial organisation and limits their room for manoeuvre.

Planning and developing metropolitan areas : the long march of local authorities

Loïc Vadelorge traces the gradual development of metropolitan authorities, from the associations of municipalities of the late 19th century to urban communities and the Chevènement Act (1999).

The Trente Glorieuses reinforced this trend, with the creation of urban communities (1966) and communities of municipalities (1992), followed by metropolitan communities (1999).

The ‘metropolitan era’ of the 2010s, which emerged in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and neoliberal principles (competitiveness, attractiveness), is not a break with the past, but a further step in the strengthening of metropolitan powers.

The author illustrates this continuity through two examples :

• Housing : from the early 20th century onwards, social policy focused on providing accommodation for the working classes. After the war, the State regained control through the construction of large housing estates, but metropolitan areas retained a key role in urban planning.

• Major public facilities (hospitals, universities, cultural facilities): symbols of the alliance between the state and cities, they foreshadowed the development of inter-municipal cooperation.

The ecological transition : between rupture and continuity

Metropolitan areas established under the MAPTAM-NOTRe laws have made the ecological transition a major priority, with measures such as the ZAN (Zero Net Land Take) or food sovereignty. However, Loïc Vadelorge asks : is this really a historic turning point ?

The author criticises an instrumentalist reading of history, which obscures the ecological legacies of post-war urban policies. Metropolises are not merely actors in the transition under pressure from social movements (Extinction Rebellion, ZAD); they are also leaders in decarbonisation, by virtue of the powers transferred to them through territorial reforms.

Issues surrounding water and industrial risks illustrate this complexity. The management of these issues did not begin in the 2010s, but is part of a longer-term history in which metropolitan areas have had to provide water for and protect their territories. Thus, far from representing a break with the past, we are witnessing an updating of management agendas, driven by the legacy of existing infrastructure.

Down with the metropolitan areas ? Moving beyond criticism to rethink public policy

Since the publication of Guillaume Faburel’s *Les Métropoles barbares*, a section of the academic research community has been strongly critical of metropolitan areas, accusing them of embodying neoliberal excesses (competitiveness, attractiveness, excellence). This criticism, which is at times militant (anti-capitalist, environmentalist), denounces the social effects of metropolitan policies.

Loïc Vadelorge proposes three approaches to move beyond this condemnation :

1. Move away from the essentialisation of metropolitan areas by drawing on case studies.

2. Take metropolitan public policies and their socio-spatial effects seriously.

3. Distinguish between the city narrative and territorial marketing. !!!

The challenge is to reconcile democratic legitimacy with effectiveness: whilst metropolitan areas have extensive powers, their democratic deficit (the absence of direct universal suffrage for their executive bodies) raises questions. Furthermore, how can we transform technical legacies (major infrastructure) to meet the challenges of the ecological transition ?

Conclusion : metropolitan areas, between legacy and innovation

The Golden Age of Metropolitan Areas reminds us that these entities did not arise out of nothing. They are the product of a long history, in which economic ambitions, institutional reforms and technical legacies are intertwined. The ecological transition, often presented as a break with the past, is in fact part of a continuum, in which metropolitan areas must navigate historical constraints whilst innovating.

“ Building a metropolitan area means ceasing to view historical periods as isolated blocks. Historical analysis can serve as a strategic tool for contemporary planners. ”

The book invites us to move beyond fruitless dichotomies (centre vs. periphery, rupture vs. continuity) in order to rethink metropolitan areas as laboratories for territorial cooperation, where the balance between competitiveness, solidarity and socio-territorial justice is played out.

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