The Stade de France: the last expression of French centralism?

Abstract

The Stade de France was built for the 1998 World Cup finals. The success of the French team and the substantial infrastructure investment that came with the stadium transformed the image of the formerly industrial suburb of Plaine-Saint-Denis where the stadium is located. However, the impacts of the Stade de France have been uneven and the northern suburbs still present substantial challenges for economic and social renewal. Whilst the key decisions about locating the stadium were taken by central government, the arrival of the Stade de France coincides with radical change in the governance of urban renewal, and future planning of the area will be managed through complex arrangements of inter-communal cooperation and inter-governmental coordination.