Mid-sized French cities and their niche competitiveness

This paper aims at presenting the development of niche competitiveness within mid-sized French cities. The analysis is based on a data set concerning the growth of high-skilled jobs that reflect metropolitan functions, and which are mainly agglomerated at the top of the urban hierarchy. They are used to approximate the types of coalescence of these functions, from 1990 to 1999, at the level of mid-sized cities. The big city proximity, institutional factors, and economic heritage could explain how niche competitiveness in business- or creation-oriented functions has emerged. The key policy lesson is that mid-sized cities could effectively compete by using both metropolitan assets and territorial resources.

► Mid-sized cities (MSC) remain relevant component of the spatial organization.
► High-skilled jobs and upper metropolitan functions emerge and coalesce.
► MSCs develop niche competitiveness in business- or creation- oriented functions.
► Big city proximity, institutional factors, and economic heritages may explain the trend.