Métropole Européenne de Lille | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in the North department. | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Nord |
| No. of communes | 95 |
| Established | January 1, 2015 |
| Seat | Lille |
| Government | |
| • President(2020–2026) | Damien Castelain |
Area | 671.9 km2 (259.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2019) | 1,179,050 |
| • Density | 1,755/km2 (4,545/sq mi) |
| Website | lillemetropole.fr |
TheMétropole Européenne de Lille (French pronunciation:[metʁɔpɔløʁɔpeɛndəlil],MEL; English:"European Metropolis of Lille") is themétropole, anintercommunal structure, composed by a network of big cities (Lille,Roubaix,Tourcoing,Villeneuve d'Ascq,Armentières etc.) whose major city is thecity ofLille. It is located in theNorddepartment, in theHauts-de-Franceregion, northernFrance – bordering both theFlemish andWalloon regions ofBelgium. It was created in January 2015, replacing the previousCommunauté urbaine de Lille,[1] and covers that part of the Lille metropolitan area that lies in France. Its area is 671.9 km2. Its population was 1,179,050 in 2019, of which 234,475 in Lille proper.[2][3] The annual budget of the métropole is €1,865 billion (2018).[4]
The urban community was founded in 1967 withAugustin Laurent as its first president.
Then, in 1971, Arthur Notebart, Deputy Mayor of Lomme, succeeded him until the election of Pierre Mauroy in 1989.
After the March 2008 municipal elections, each city council sent delegates to the urban community, a total of 170 voting members.
In April 2008, a new president was to be elected on a majority vote, defined at 816 votes. It caused for intense lobbying throughout the 85 cities and villages. One key issue was the investment priorities for the 2008/2014 period, namely transport, housing and the environment. The newly re-elected mayor of Lille, socialistMartine Aubry, tried to impose a new €800 million stadium in the eastern part of the community, which was opposed by three major mayors of her own party, who considered the project as misplaced and too expensive.[citation needed]
On January 1, 2015, the métropole replaced the urban community in accordance with a law of January 2014.[1][5] On January 1, 2017, the number of municipalities of the métropole increased from 85 to 90.[6][7] It was expanded with the 5 communes of the formerCommunauté de communes de la Haute Deûle on March 14, 2020.[8]
The metropolitan community is responsible for the co-ordination ofIlévia, the private-sector company that operates a public transport network throughout the métropole. The network comprisesbuses, trams and a driverlessmetro system, all of which are operated under the Transpole name. TheLille Metro is aVAL system (véhicule automatique léger = light automated vehicle) that opened on May 16, 1983, becoming the first automatic metro line in the world. The metro system has two lines, with a total length of 45 km and 60 stations. The tram system consists of two interurban tram lines, connecting central Lille to the nearby communities ofRoubaix andTourcoing, and has 45 stops. 68 urban bus routes cover the metropolis, 8 of which reach into Belgium.[9]
The MEL metropolitan community encompasses only the French part of the urban area around Lille; the other part is onBelgian territory and outside the scope of MEL.
TheEurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai is a transnational structure founded on January 28, 2008[10] to overcome this problem, crossing borders and connecting Lille with the nearby Belgian citiesKortrijk,Mouscron andTournai.
Métropole Européenne de Lille consists of the following 95 communes:[8][11][12]
Bois-Grenier, Le Maisnil, Fromelles, Aubers et Radinghem-en-Weppes. Soit 6000 habitants supplémentaires pour une MEL qui compte désormais 90 communes…
La fusion, effective au 1er janvier 2017, acte un élargissement historique du territoire de la Métropole Européenne de Lille, passant de 85 à 90 communes pour près d'1.2 million d'habitants.
50°38′14″N3°03′47″E / 50.63722°N 3.06306°E /50.63722; 3.06306
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