The current news in the Department is focused on the structuring of territories: the Prefect has published the State’s vision of the intercommunality mapping, and the birth of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, spearheaded by Christian Estrosi.
While these latest updates leave the general public indifferent, not all elected officials are necessarily thrilled with these geographical divisions, sometimes referred to as “carvings.” Some are concerned about independence, others about power rivalries or territorial organization.
The structuring of intercommunality in our Department is clearly progressing rapidly under the State’s impetus; the Prefect’s proposal for the Cannes Grasse Agglomeration is the most recent illustration of this. An historical account could also be made of all these Communities of Municipalities formed like bulwarks against overpowering Agglomerations.
It is true that here, more than elsewhere, territorial relevance has given way to the logic of districts, and the perimeters of intercommunality have aligned with these. In the end, only the unruly triangle of Cannes-Le Cannet-Mandelieu resisted the State’s pressure to “join intercommunality” (some may perhaps detect echoes of the debate on the separation of church and state in this expression…). The local authorities of this triangle have long proven they can justify to their voters prioritizing personal rivalries over the greater interests of the territory, especially since each has the means to afford equipment that others, lacking resources, must undertake collectively.
The leaders of the three communes experienced this State intrusion as a violation, and we are eager to see how the protagonists will emerge from this trauma, with the sovereign from Grasse, who, on his part, has created a fairly exemplary small agglomeration over several years.
The Niçois Metropolis, on its part, is characterized by a geographical originality: initially designed as a horizontal coastal strip, it has transformed into a vertical cylinder that incorporates parts of the middle and high country, thus losing any territorial coherence. The Niçois monarch has also faced resistance from local barons against Niçois’ hegemony. While the size and weight of the metropolis do not quite meet its creator’s aspirations, its competencies, currently partly attributed to the Department, might lead to some frictions between the two entities. The O.I.N, for its part, currently shows a lot of intentions and announcements: let’s await the realizations!
by Telloc
