The phenomenon is closely monitored by INSEE experts: Montpellier is swelling visibly, boosted by an irresistible attractiveness. Its demographic growth even defies the laws of statistics. From 2015 to 2021, the Hérault city gained more than 4,000 inhabitants per year, to the point of now housing half a million souls in its metropolis and more than 300,000 within its walls, or… 100,000 more and more forty years. The equivalent of the population of a town like Nancy!
“The prefecture of Hérault is clearly the champion of growth,” confirms Caroline Jamet, director of INSEE in Occitanie. It “impresses with its ability to attract populations”, adds the Arthur Loyd firm. “There are students as well as working people and retirees, attracted by the three hundred days of sunshine per year, but also by the proximity of Marseille and Toulouse,” observes Francis Cransac, president of the AVF association (Home French cities) in Montpellier.
For many, the city ticks all the boxes: proximity to the sea, good weather, jobs, training and the cultural offerings of a metropolis. Arguments that hit the mark with students (18-24 year olds represent half of the arrivals), often seduced by the charms of this bustling city with a keen sense of staging, with its Odysseum leisure temple, its architectural “follies”, without forgetting its Lez market, where young people toast on recycled pallets when they don’t get lost in the nocturnal scents of the Ecusson, the historic center. This is where the heart of the city beats. “There are a lot of events, it’s a very international city, very cool,” notes Tim Banisch, a 27-year-old German student. “It’s hyperdynamic, even in winter!” approves Célia Bosco, 19 years old.
But the coin has its other side, particularly on the real estate side. “It’s difficult to find an apartment,” continues Celia Bosco. “Apartments for rent are sorely lacking, because demand is very strong, underlines Maud Marcenac, of the Agence du Soleil. The equation is not simpler for accessing property. The median price of an old apartment increased by 38% between 2010 and 2022 in the metropolis, pushing households further and further away. “This demographic attractiveness creates pressure, confirms the PS mayor of Montpellier, Michaël Delafosse. We absolutely must create housing, but not build everywhere. This is why we are densifying certain neighborhoods while increasing the number of parks and public transportation.”
“There are too many people !”
Since December 21, buses and trams have become free for residents of the metropolis, a first for a community of this caliber in Europe. Enough to further strengthen its appeal? “We no longer take the car to go to the center,” rejoices Jacques Makima, 70, living with his wife Liliane in Pignan, 12 kilometers from the city. “But we can no longer find a place to sit on the tram,” says Philippe Riondel, 52 years old. “There are too many people !” regrets Catherine Demessieux, 70 years old, who also fears seeing her taxes increase. A sensitive subject, on which the mayor wants to be reassuring: “The attractiveness of the city to businesses brings additional tax revenue. This is how we will finance free transport.”
Will the measure have ecological benefits in this city, one of the most congested in France? “This is a good initiative if it results in a virtual disappearance of the car,” underlines climatologist Jean Jouzel. According to a senatorial report, in three cities studied, free access has not called into question the reign of the automobile. But here it is accompanied by a strategy to promote soft mobility (cycle paths, low-emission zones, etc.) and limit the impact of the population on the environment (renovation of housing, progressive water prices, etc. .). “These are good levers,” confirms Jean Jouzel.
The most atypical mayor in France
The pressure is just as strong on the education side. “We have to build a new school every year,” emphasizes Michaël Delafosse. And “even more colleges, because many people arrive with older children,” adds the prefect of Hérault, François-Xavier Lauch. Paradox: Montpellier also creates jobs, but… not enough to meet demand. Because, often, the new positions are occupied by a person coming from outside, a new Montpellier who arrives with his partner, who… registers with Pôle emploi! Result: unemployment remains high (9.6%, compared to 7.4% in France), as does the poverty rate (18.9%).
It is also difficult, in these conditions, to maintain one’s culture. “What saddens me are the curtains that are being lowered, the historic businesses that are closing, we are losing this identity, deplores Patricia Mirallès, Secretary of State and elected opposition member. We must continue to maintain the legacy of Montpellier. The city must grow without losing its soul,” she advocates. A challenge when you also have to reinvent yourself. “We don’t have Airbus,” emphasizes Michaël Delafosse, “but this is where Ubisoft comes out Prince of Persia and that our incubators support the dynamic ecosystem of our French Tech, thanks to the strategy put in place by my predecessor Georges Frêche, which I continue to intensify. When you are in digital, AI, health, renewables, you invent the future.” An analysis reinforced by Arthur Loyd: “This territory is preparing the future through its capacity to bring about investment projects in the climate transition sectors.”
The feeling of insecurity also remains high. If Catherine Demessieux is pleased to have settled in this “joyful” city after the death of her husband, she recognizes it: “In winter, I don’t take the tram after 8 p.m., and I avoid certain neighborhoods, like that of the station.” “This attractiveness indeed constitutes a considerable challenge, recognizes Michaël Delafosse, because the number of police officers and magistrates does not always follow.” However, the prefect makes security one of his priorities. “When a city grows, you also have reports of delinquency in the surrounding area, explains François-Xavier Lauch. This is why we are going to add at least ten police officers to its crown. 10,000 additional inhabitants each year in greater Montpellier, that supposes additional police officers and cameras. That said, the numbers are increasing, and, above all, we are working hand in hand with the mayor.” “In 2025 we will have the largest armed transport police in France!” claims Michaël Delafosse. “Montpellier is rather a well-kept city,” notes Alain Bauer, professor of criminology at the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. Michaël Delafosse is not really known for his lax side.” “I even think I will become the most atypical left-wing mayor in France,” laughs the socialist.
Positions which have been noticed well beyond the urban area. “The mayor of Montpellier had positions on security and secularism which made it possible to understand that life in common is based on rules and that firmness does not exclude humanity,” notes the former head of state. François Hollande. The challenge is also to show that the left is capable of succeeding in all transitions, ecological, economic, urban.” To the point of turning the city into a laboratory?
An article from the special report of L’Express “These cities that make France move”, published in the weekly of April 4.
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