Bordeaux is the largest urban area ever to be listed a UNESCO World Heritage site, but that doesn’t mean the city has frozen in its glorious past. The world capital of wine combines its heritage to a very bold approach, of a city widely open to innovation and to the world.
Located in the South West of France, Bordeaux Métropole is home to 802,000 inhabitants in 28 towns, among which the city of Bordeaux with 260,000 inhabitants. Only two hours from Paris with the high-speed train, Bordeaux has consistently been classified as the most attractive city in France to live and work in the recent years. This is mainly due to its recognised quality of life, taking into account that half of the 57,000 hectares of the Bordeaux metropolis are natural and agricultural areas. It is a defining feature of our identity and a key asset.
Created more than 2000 years ago by the Romans, Bordeaux was one of the most active harbours in the world, in the 18th century, trading with all continents. Faithful to a multifaceted DNA, Bordeaux has carried on with its spirit of adventure and conquest.
Since 2000, Bordeaux has undergone an outstanding urban and economic metamorphosis, and a spectacular renaissance, that brought back confidence and pride to the citizens and made the city more inclusive. This is mostly due to an ambitious urban regeneration agenda, with major structuring projects, including heavy investments in sustainable urban transports, and a complete renewal of the Garonne river banks.
This vitality is underpinned by the presence of 105,000 students – more than 13% of the population. Excellence in higher education and research leads to world-scale clusters, urban labs, and start-up companies. Along with winegrowing and winemaking of course, Bordeaux Métropole’s main industries include defence and air space industry, laser and photonics, health and bio technology, digital industries, and tourism.
Bordeaux draws a singular vitality, and certain boldness, from its openness to the world. This, along with the city’s lively approach to heritage, makes Bordeaux one of the most active urban labs in France.
Today, Bordeaux is more committed than ever to address climate change and signed the Paris Declaration in December 2020, together with many other European cities and networks. Concrete action is underway to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
