Contrats de developpement territorial in the Grand Paris project: towards negotiated networked development?

摘要

Introduced by the Grand Paris Act of June 2010, the purpose of the contrats de developpement territorial (territorial development contracts) or CDTs is to set targets for housing construction, economic development and public facilities in areas around the future stations of the planned 'Grand Huit' automatic metro network for the Paris region. They take the form of contractual agreements between the state and the municipalities concerned. The 2010 law initially attracted opposition from local politicians, who saw it as a move towards re-centralisation. Based on the study of two CDTs in the new town of Marne-la-Vallee, this article gives a more qualified picture, showing that local officials use CDTs as a means to promote local priorities and exercise influence on the Grand Paris project.