Aire métropolitaine marseillaise : une dynamique inclusive confrontée au legs de forces centrifuges

After a long and heated debate, and outright opposition from many mayors of Bouches-du-Rhône towns, the creation of Aix-Marseille Provence Métropole was passed in 2013. In January 2016, the Marseilles metropolitan area will expand to include surrounding areas, where nearly two million people live. This more cohesive territory is expected to carry out joint projects more efficiently. By adopting a socio-political understanding of the Marseilles metropolitan area, the article points out that territorial fragmentation and widening social inequalities between different towns are a real threat to the complete success of the project. Since World War II, the periphery of the metropolis has developed its own strategy of expansion, leading to the appearance of powerful entropic forces. How could Aix-Marseille Provence Métropole overcome its internal contradictions and promote the emergence of a dynamic urban area integrated in global exchanges of goods and services?