dAgglomération

d'agglomération is a term used in urban geography to designate the built-up area around a city as well as forms of intercommunal cooperation in France. In geographic usage, agglomération refers to a continuous urban settlement comprising a central city and its suburbs. In the administrative context, the formal intercommunal entity around major urban centers is the communauté d'agglomération (CA). A CA is a public establishment for intercommunal cooperation that groups several communes to manage common urban planning, economic development, housing, and transport.

A CA must be formed around a central urban area and meet population thresholds, typically requiring a total population of at least 50,000, with at least one member commune of 15,000 inhabitants or more. It is governed by a council composed of delegates from the member communes and led by a president. The CA exercises several compulsory and optional competencies, such as spatial planning, economic development, housing policy, environmental protection, and solid waste management, among others. It also has the power to levy taxes or receive assignments from member communes.

The concept exists within the broader system of intercommunal structures in France, alongside communautés de communes, communautés urbaines, and métropoles, each with its own thresholds and powers. Outside of France, agglomeration designations are used in urban geography to describe a continuous urban area, sometimes translated as metropolitan area. The form d’agglomération, when used, generally indicates similar ideas of urban cohesion and shared governance, but the precise term and powers depend on national or regional law.