The urban area of Saint-Etienne The urban area of Saint-Etienne, with around 500.000 habitants, is the second centre of the Region Rhône-Alpes. Old industrial city, Saint-Etienne has faced to economic and demographic declines in the eighties. The economic crisis was linked with the end of activity of large industrial manufactories. Impacts of the industrial restructuring have been important on environment, labour market and business confidence. From the middle of nineties, better evolutions can be perceived with a progress of employment and business activity. A dynamic network of firms and a collective capacity of innovation can explain this recent evolution. Concerning demographic decline, the tendency is pursing. Departures of households from the inner city centre can be explained by the growing obsolescence of city centre and, by contrast, the high environmental value of suburban areas. From the end of nineties, a collective action has been established about urban regeneration of the city of Saint-Etienne. Public funding are allocated to increase the urban quality of life (public spaces, public transportation, culture) and to revitalize the housings. Concrete results of this ambitious urban renewal project can’t be expected before five or ten years. The political organisation of the urban area of Saint-Etienne is recent. A first institution was created in 1995, uniting the forces of 27 municipalities totalling some 375 000 inhabitants, and has evolved to the status of urban community in 2001. The main efforts of Saint-Etienne Métropole were based on optimising urban and economic development in the area, on developing public transportation but also concern a variety of other issues such as environmental protection.