Villeurbanne

Villeurbanne
The city hall
Coat of arms
Villeurbanne
Location within Rhône-Alpes region Villeurbanne
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Metropolis	Metropolis of Lyon
Arrondissement	Lyon
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Jean-Paul Bret (PS)
Area1	14.52 km2 (5.61 sq mi)
Population (2012)2	146,282
• Density	10,000/km2 (26,000/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	69266 / 69100
Elevation	165–189 m (541–620 ft) (avg. 181 m or 594 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Villeurbanne (French pronunciation: ​[vi.lœʁ.ban]) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.

It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris. Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the metropolitan area. In 2013, Villeurbanne was elected the city with the best administration of France, which attracts more and more people.

History

The current location of downtown Villeurbanne is known to have been inhabited as far back as 6000 BC. Its current name comes from a Gallo-Roman farming area, established at about the same time as Lyon (then Lugdunum) and known as the Villa Urbana ("town house"). It would then become Urbanum, then Villa Urbane and, ultimately, Villeurbanne.

Villeurbanne has belonged to the kingdom of France since 1349. It was then separated from Lyon by the river La Rize, a former branch of the Rhône River.

Until the 19th century, the city was merely a patchwork of distinct villages separated by fields and undeveloped land. These villages have mostly survived, and nowadays form the neighborhoods of Charpennes, Cusset, Croix-Luizet, Maisons-Neuves, etc.

With the industrial era, Villeurbanne's economy soared: the textile industry was the first to bloom, followed by mechanical and chemical ones. The factories lured in numerous immigrants, most notably from Italy. Transforming from a rural community to an industrial town, Villeurbanne underwent a tremendous demographic boom in the late 1920s. From 3,000 inhabitants in 1928, its population rocketed to 82,000 in 1931. Mayor Lazare Goujon (elected 1924) engaged the city in a vast public works initiative. Arguably the most visible heritage of this program is the Gratte-Ciel, a housing complex made up of two Art Deco towers and annex smaller buildings, lining up along the Avenue Henri Barbusse. These structures are the work of architect Môrice Leroux, and one of the most notable Art Deco structures in France. Having undergone thorough renovation, the 19-story twin towers have become an emblem of the city.

Education

Many colleges and universities of the Lyon metropolitan area are located in Villeurbanne. Many of these are located on the La Doua campus, home to the Claude Bernard University (Lyon I), a public university, CPE Lyon and the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, one of the premier engineering institute (Grandes écoles) in France, very well known for high quality education and for research not only in France but in the whole world.

The Association Pour le Developpement de la Langue et de la Culture Japonaises (ADLCJ; リヨン補習授業校 Riyon Hoshū Jugyō Kō), a part-time Japanese supplementary school, is held in the Maison Berty Albrecht in Villeurbanne. It was formed in 1987.

Transport

Villeurbanne is well served by the Lyon area public transit system, the TCL (Transports en Commun Lyonnais). The east branch of subway line A runs through the city heart, and the new tramway lines T1 and T4 connects the La Doua campus to the Lyon business and commercial district of La Part-Dieu and the Presqu'île downtown.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Twin towns — Sister cities

Villeurbanne is twinned with:

Abanilla, Spain

Mahilyow, Belarus

Abovyan, Armenia

Khabarovsk, Russia

Bat Yam, Israel

El Eulma, Algeria

Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

Demography

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	1,617	—
1800	1,654	+2.3%
1806	1,834	+10.9%
1821	2,136	+16.5%
1831	2,826	+32.3%
1836	2,998	+6.1%
1841	3,677	+22.6%
1846	4,252	+15.6%
1851	5,395	+26.9%
1856	5,339	−1.0%
1861	5,850	+9.6%
1866	6,663	+13.9%
1872	7,474	+12.2%
1876	9,033	+20.9%
1881	11,176	+23.7%
1886	14,715	+31.7%
1891	17,940	+21.9%
1896	21,714	+21.0%
1901	29,220	+34.6%
1906	33,890	+16.0%
1911	42,526	+25.5%
1921	56,110	+31.9%
1926	63,775	+13.7%
1931	82,038	+28.6%
1936	81,322	−0.9%
1946	82,399	+1.3%
1954	81,769	−0.8%
1962	105,416	+28.9%
1968	119,879	+13.7%
1975	116,535	−2.8%
1982	115,960	−0.5%
1990	116,872	+0.8%
1999	124,215	+6.3%
2006	134,500	+8.3%
2007	138,151	+2.7%
2011	145,034	+5.0%
2012	146,282	+0.9%
From 1962, the number here is the population without double counting Sources : Cassini-LDH of the EHESS and Insee

In terms of number of inhabitants, the city of Villeurbanne is the second city of the Metropolis of Lyon, the fourth city of the region Rhône-Alpes, the 27th city of France. It is also the biggest city of France not to be a prefecture.

Notable people

The list of notable native Villeurbannais includes:

• Charles Hernu, French politician, mayor of Villeurbanne (1977-1990)
• Mourad Benhamida, French footballer, 18 January 1986
• Xavier Chavalerin, midfielder, 7 March 1991
• Henri Cochet, French tennis player, 4 December 1901 (†1987)
• Florent Manaudou, French swimmer, 12 November 1990
• Laure Manaudou, French swimmer, world record holder, 9 October 1986
• Gnonsiane Niombla, handball player
• Jean-Karl Vernay, French race car driver, 31 October 1987
• Jose Vespasien, basketball player

See also

• Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon

References

Notes

• INSEE - National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies - France

External links

• (French)Official website
• (French)Villeurbanne Message Board