France now ranks sixth in Europe for the number of smart cities, with 11 cities recognised across the country, and the Greater Paris area is leading the charge.
Over the past 7 years, the Greater Paris Metropolis (Métropole du Grand Paris) has supported more than 270 local projects to test new ideas, pilot digital tools, and improve public services for residents.
From mobility to digital transition and environmental action, municipalities across the metropolis are using innovation to deliver smarter, more responsive solutions to the challenges of densely populated areas.
Where urban density meets opportunity
The Greater Paris Metropolis is a French inter-municipal structure established in 2016. It brings together Paris and 130 neighbouring municipalities, forming a dynamic urban area of over 7 million inhabitants – one of the most densely populated regions in Europe, with an average of 8 598 residents per square kilometre.
This vast and diverse territory includes municipalities of different sizes and levels of economic development and generates around 25% of France’s GDP. It also offers a highly dynamic environment for innovation, supported by more than 400 000 digital economy professionals, 150 000 R&D specialists, and over 900 educational institutions.
Helping municipalities take their first steps toward innovation
To turn ambition into action, the Metropolis created “Innovating in the City”, a programme designed to help municipalities develop innovative and digital projects. It provides:
- Free support for 91 municipalities selected based on socio-economic criteria. This includes expert advice on benchmarking solutions, contractual terms, financial feasibility, ideation workshops and user journey design.
- Co-financing for projects led by local public bodies, covering up to 50% of costs, capped at EUR 200 000 per project.
Project leaders can also present their ideas to a committee of French innovation experts for feedback and guidance.
The programme is open to projects led by public bodies across all sectors of urban innovation. It can involve private players, such as start-ups or innovative companies, through public procurement processes or innovation partnerships.
Since its launch, the programme has supported over 270 projects, representing EUR 50 million in total investment, including EUR 14 million in subsidies from the Greater Paris Metropolis.
On the ground, the “Innovating in the City” programme translates into highly practical solutions tailored to each municipality’s specific needs, as shown by the following projects.
Optimising delivery zones in Levallois-Perret (EUR 100 000 subsidy)
Levallois-Perret, a municipality of 70 000 inhabitants, was facing frequent misuse of local delivery zones. Only one-third of these zones were actually used by delivery drivers, leading to traffic congestion and double parking. To solve this issue, the City implemented a digital solution using sensors installed on streetlights to monitor and optimise the use of parking spaces dedicated to deliveries.
The goal was to reduce double-parking and prevent vehicles from blocking access to these zones. The solution has helped curb inappropriate behaviour and improve turnover rates at delivery spots, thereby increasing their availability for professional use. Following the success of this pilot, the Metropolis is now testing similar solutions in 11 other municipalities.
From a Fab-Bike to a Fab-Lab in Créteil (EUR 240 000 cumulative subsidies)
In a very different context, Créteil, a municipality of 90 000 inhabitants, wanted to develop digital and innovative skills among its citizens and public officials. To achieve this, the City created the Dipbike, a mobile workshop on a three-wheeled cargo bike equipped with tools like 3D printers and laser cutters. Deployed in schools, it encouraged digital practices among young people while supporting educators and families.
Following the positive response from locals to Dipbike, Créteil decided to create a permanent “FabLab” (fabrication laboratory), a collaborative space for schools, businesses and citizens to develop projects, foster creativity and promote reuse and circular economy practices. Since its opening in November 2024, FabLab has benefited 4 380 residents, including 31% young people, and has supported close to 700 people in learning and using digitals tools.
Training innovators to drive change
The Greater Paris Metropolis also organises network initiatives to train public servants and elected officials in innovative digital practices. Since November 2019, the Explorator Network has offered a training-action pathway providing in-depth knowledge on innovation topics (digital, environment, energy, mobility, construction) and practical methodologies for everyday public service roles.
To date, 160 public servants from 60 local municipalities have participated across 4 rounds. More than 90% of these municipalities have gone on to join another digital or innovation programme led by the Metropolis.
Innovation must be a long-term priority
Innovation is no longer optional for municipalities facing complex social and environmental challenges. The Greater Paris Metropolis has shown that targeted programmes can deliver tangible results. It is now essential for cities build on the lessons from early pilots and to deliver transformative long-term digital strategies for the benefit of all.
To read related OECD content, check out Smart Cities and Inclusive Growth and The OECD Programme on Smart Cities and Inclusive Growth. Read more blogs about urban policy on COGITO here.
Geoffroy Boulard is a French politician. A member of the Republicans, he has been a Paris councillor since 2014 and mayor of the 17th arrondissement of Paris since 2017. He has also been a metropolitan councillor since 2015 and vice-president of the Greater Paris metropolis in charge of communication, innovation and digital since 2020. Geoffroy Boulard obtained a Diploma of Specialised Higher Studies (DESS) in European Project Management at the University of Cergy-Pontoise.