Métropoles (Jul 2019)
L’approche institutionnelle des métropoles : une intercommunalité pas comme les autres !
Abstract
Standing in contrast to the French municipal system, which has traditionally been characterised by its legal uniformity, inter-municipal government involves multiple legal systems. The recent entry of the Metropolis into the French legal sphere, which may appear incongruous - as the very notion of metropolis involves shifting contours - in turn contributes to a more marked distinction between urban and non-urban governments. There is more to metropolitan status than simply becoming the most integrated form of cooperation. It can also be seen as a unique institutional form in several respects: the method of selecting metropolitan territories; the inclusion on the agenda of both statutory issues (becoming a territorial community) and political issues (a separate election); a set of characteristics which are specific to metropolises which might potentially extend beyond their intermunicipal nature (in terms of powers), and accord them a special position (by sparing them from regional schematisation). An exploration of the reforms puts into clearer perspective, but does not nullify, this metropolitan particularity by highlighting the force of resistance to change, defining its "exceptionality".
