Lower employment and property costs helped Lille Métropole outshine even the French capital. The judges were also impressed by Lille’s potential for economic growth and infrastructure projects.

 

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Last year, 21 million people travelled through Lille’s high-speed rail hub to cities such as Brussels (38 minutes’ journey time), Paris (59 minutes), London (1 hour 40 minutes) and Lyon (2 hours 58 minutes). The regeneration of Lille’s old town has made inner-city living a popular alternative to the villas surrounding the golf courses of Bondues and Brigode, and the town houses along Lille’s grand boulevards.

 

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