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# Les aires urbaines en France **1. Les aires urbaines en France : présentation et définitions** * An urban area is composed of a city center, a suburb, and a peri-urban ring. * Nowadays, peri-urbanization generates a phenomenon of commuting. * The city is expanding more and more, encroaching on t...

# Les aires urbaines en France **1. Les aires urbaines en France : présentation et définitions** * An urban area is composed of a city center, a suburb, and a peri-urban ring. * Nowadays, peri-urbanization generates a phenomenon of commuting. * The city is expanding more and more, encroaching on the rural space; this is called urban sprawl. * The top 10 urban areas in France are Paris, Lille, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nice, Nantes, Rennes, and Strasbourg. * Paris is the only global metropolis (12 million inhabitants). Lille, Lyon, and Marseille are European and national metropolises. * To address urban sprawl, a solution by the State and the regions is to develop and revitalize urban areas within the regions to prevent population concentration around one or two major regional cities. **2. Rural areas face urbanization: the challenge of sustainable development** * There are several types of rural areas: * Peri-urban areas, which are on the outskirts of cities, concentrating service activities, the starting point of commuting; * Dynamic areas, which develop new activities around the countryside (tourism); * Isolated areas with few activities and an aging population. **3. An example of urban development: the tramway in Montpellier** * Since the 1960s, the Montpellier urban area has expanded significantly. The population is therefore confronted with commuting. * The tramway has established itself as an ideal solution because it is not only safe and fast but also quiet (little noise) and electric, which reduces pollution. It also prioritizes intermodality. * The new neighborhoods served by the tramway help to decongest the city center and revitalize areas that were not served until then and were isolated.