With the aim of enhancing the dynamism and coherence of their projects, and to give greater impact to promotion initiatives, the towns of Thionville, Metz, Nancy and Epinal have joined forces in a network of cities, called "Sillon Lorrain" (Lorraine Valley network).

The creation of this network reflects the cities’ commitment to encouraging development along the European axis that runs along the Valley.

The network is being created to encourage their joint development, building on their complementary nature to make the area more attractive to business and industry. The Sillon Lorrain cities are thus pooling their assets to enhance their potential as a unified whole.

Running north-south, the Lorraine Valley crosses three counties: Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle and Vosges. In addition to the towns of Thionville, Metz, Nancy and Epinal, it includes the Greater Nancy Urban District and Greater Metz Metropolitan District. The initiative is thus based on the very real socio-geographic unity of the urban areas forming the network. It will also encourage development in the intervening areas in the Valley.

Additional improvements in access to nearby cities, regions and countries (Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland…) will further enhance links between these urban areas and the complementary nature of their assets.

Taken as a whole the Lorraine Valley has a population of 1,160,000, a work force of 440,000, 58,000 public bodies and private companies and 65,000 students.

With direct links to Benelux motorways, its cities are well served by a network of motorways and toll-free express highways. The area also has regular train services, navigable inland waterways leading directly to the North Sea ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam etc., and excellent communications with the dynamic Rhone corridor.

This well-developed infrastructure is a significant factor encouraging growth in this fast expanding, 95-mile-long urban strip.

The Sillon Lorrain organisation is chaired by a mayor from one of the member cities. Previously presided over by André Rossinot (Mayor of Nancy and Chairman of the Greater Nancy District Council), and by Michel Heinrich (Mayor of Epinal), the present chairman is Jean-Marie Rausch, Mayor of Metz.

With initial contacts dating from 1994, under the Metz-Nancy Metropolitan Contract, the ambitions of the four urban areas were further refined in a number of preparatory studies carried out by Nancy and Metz Town Planning and Development Agencies. More than a simple diagnosis of the area’s requirements, these preliminary studies carefully examined a number of possible strategic objectives.

The four Lorraine cities then agreed on the analysis and the joint strategy, and subsequently on a charter of objectives.

The imminent National Government – Lorraine Regional Council Contract will enable them to take further practical steps in addition to co-financing various complementary studies. These will cover a range of subjects from transport to economic prospection, from information and communications technology to tourism, and further development of the universities.

These cities will thus constitute a dense network of services and resources covering the north-eastern quarter of France, lying between Paris and Strasbourg.

The agreed objectives are now taking shape on the ground with the creation of a formal structure to manage the Valley network. The organisation set up will thus be formally recognised and its dealings with other official bodies facilitated.

The Lorraine Valley is already a member of France’s National Club of Urban Networks, which brings together all the urban networks in the country. The proposals and issues the Club raises have a significant impact on a national level.

The Sillon Lorrain cities will reinforce the region’s structure as a whole and will be in a position to deal with various strategic matters:

To promote economic development, the network of cities will jointly produce maps and promotional leaflets on specific subjects. It will strengthen the Regional Council’s actions in support of business and industry and in investment promotion. It will also organise and/or participate in events promoting the region. Metz and Nancy have been jointly represented at MIPIM (the International Real Estate Promotion Market) for the last four years. Thionville and Epinal joined them last year, thus participating in this joint approach, enhancing their potential and the attractiveness of their major business parks (Meurthe-Canal in Nancy, the Amphitheatre District in Metz…).

The network’s economic development objectives also include enhancing the image of existing commercial sectors located close to the town centres, defining common policy for logistics investments, providing support for subcontractors, and setting up joint economic observatories.

With the Thionville and Epinal logistics platforms, the Nancy and Metz Technology Parks, and the development programmes for the main railway stations (which will be served by the TGV from 2006), the four cities hope to encourage company service firms to set up business in the Valley.

The Lorraine Valley will take specific action to improve living conditions for students, in particular by increasing the amount of accommodation available, and by improving the quality of the services on offer: information, public transport, leisure activity facilities…

The Lorraine Valley intends enhancing the attractiveness of the area’s heritage as a whole by increasing the range of cultural facilities (knowledge, information, co-ordination), encouraging the sharing of sports facilities, creating joint tourist packages (inland waterways, long-distance walks and cycle-rides, joint museum passes, shared internet sites and databases for the four tourist offices…).

One of the major objectives of this municipal network is to improve the area’s road, rail and inland waterway communications infrastructure. The Lorraine Valley will thus encourage further co-operation between municipalities and promote joint developments that take full advantage of their complementary nature and optimise existing and future facilities.

In addition to the positive impact of the new TGV service (2006), the four cities intend developing a joint rail-transport policy and aim to improve the range of rail services throughout the Valley. Major objectives agreed by the four cities include improving passenger train services and introducing a unified pricing policy, increasing freight transport and logistics services linked to Thionville port and the multimodal logistics platforms, and increasing use of the Moselle canal. These objectives are intended to increase the passenger and freight transport role played by the Lorraine Valley on a Europe-wide level.

As concerns Information and Communications Technology, the Lorraine Valley will apply the experience gained in the successful trials in Metz, Nancy and Epinal using the high-speed Lothaire network, which links all the Lorraine universities and research centres.

The Lorraine Valley will now be putting all four cities on line. The area will thus have a comprehensive electronic network that, through the QuattroPole loop (Luxembourg – Metz – Saarbrücken – Trier), already provide excellent cross-border and international transmission.

Local authorities today have to take into account new skills and professions and changes in work cycles as well as new consumer behaviour and expectations in order to provide the facilities and public services to meet these needs.

In this connection, the Lorraine Valley is planning an Amenities Observatory to make sure that facilities provided are complementary and can be upgraded regularly. It is also planning combined action to improve public services.

Another priority is environmental improvement. This will be aimed both at enhancing the image of the Valley by restoring, protecting and improving the attractiveness of monuments and other protected areas, by introducing a landscape plan, and by taking joint action to prevent flooding, to maintain quality of air and water, to reduce noise pollution, and to reduce and process industrial waste.

Agence de Développement et d’Urbanisme de l’Aire Urbaine Nancéienne