Euralille

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Abstract
This article is concerned with how far largely US- based literature about pro-growth politics can be applied in European circumstances. It does this by examining the political context for the development of the Euralille project. Changing transport networks have given Lille a new centrality in Europe. Local elites have sought to capitalize on new transport investment by promoting a large commercial property development around the new TGV inter change at the heart of the conurbation. The project has sought and gained an international reputation. A range of US literature attempts to explain 'civic boosterism' and property development-led urban policy. Recently some attempts have been made to translate the experience of US cities to the different circumstances of Europe. The article builds on this literature and explores issues in the Europeanization of the theory of urban regimes. The Euralille case does not reveal a 'growth coalition' according to the US model but a public sector-organized project, managed by a semi-autonomous public-private devel opment agency. Integrated political leadership and the powerful role of technical elites in the project con firm a common interpretation of French local politics. However, the project has also to be understood as a product of specific local political circumstances. The strong political and technical leadership of the project and its institutional form contribute to its success in attracting development resources and international prestige. Political change and the property recession, however, raise some doubts about the future of this model of urban governance.