Since the 50's, the altering between urban area and political power is at the origin of a major dysfunction of agglomerations (spillovers...). In reaction, many States have implemented a political and administrative reconfiguration of territories, lying upon historical heritage and specific legal techniques. This (re)structuring necessitates a definition of functional areas as a frame for the resolution of urban problems (planning, urbanism, networks...). The organization and the management of urban transport networks are symptomatic of the difficulties met by urban areas. Because of its repercussions on urban life and development (mobility, economic and social dimensions) and the problems it must deal with, the urban transport has been put into the hands of new metropolitan structures : the nature of institutional forms, regulation and control instruments will depend, however, on endogenous metropolitan factors or the specific national context. Transport has become one of the principal preoccupations of public powers. So, with the growing interest in urban sustainability, with the economic metropolisation, it appears to be the central pivot of metropolitan politics. On the basis of a comparison between the metropolitan areas of Lille and Montreal, our study means to determine : - to what extent the progressive structuring of an urban area facilitates the setting of metropolitan politics; - which organisms (intermunicipal arrangements) or organizations (governance) concur to a better administration of the metropolis (services and politics); - Which politics of urban transport were developed by public powers, in which frame they were elaborated and what were their results or their impact on the city itself.
