Report and photos by Florian Guillemin.

Something is afoot in Hauts-de-France. Dedicated design capital of the world 2020, following in the footsteps of destinations such as Seoul or Mexico, Lille can no longer hide from the fact and must assume its status. Even if, because of Covid, the city had to wait until early September to launch the festivities. More than just a city, it's a metropolis in the broadest sense of the term, and even a Euro-region, that's on the move in all directions; in Roubaix and Tourcoing of course, and all the way to those Belgian cities that have never seemed so close.

At the heart of this system, Euralille is a focal point for business flows, aided by the presence of two gateways - Lille Flandres and Europe stations - and the events infrastructure of the Grand Palais. Insurance, finance, IT, consulting: some 14,000 people generally gravitate around the Tower of Lille. Perhaps a little less so recently, since some of them have developed a taste for teleworking.

Like the city itself, the business district designed by Rem Koolhaas has not yet reached its full potential. Projects are continuing to shape a business hub that is opening up to more varied activities, as envisaged in the new development phase called Euralille 3000. Little by little, the fifty shades of grey in the business district are being tinged with new, trendy addresses that are breathing new life into the area.

At the same time, other satellites are emerging to support this historic centre, with sites of excellence springing up at Loos, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Lomme and Roubaix and enhance the attractiveness of the city. This decentralisation based on innovation is a kind of "Greater Lille with big ambitions. Having been in the limelight as the capital of design, the city intends to keep the flame burning and establish itself as a key player in the French economy, at the heart of Europe.

How to get there

The great strength of the Lille metropolitan area is its hyper-accessibility. In just 80 minutes, no fewer than three capital cities can be reached: Brussels (35 minutes), London (1h20) and, of course, Paris (1h). Nearly twenty TGV trains leave the Gare du Nord in Paris for Lille-Flandres every day, not counting the Ouigo trains operating from Tourcoing. But that's not all: since 1 January, Eiffage has been the airport's new concessionaire, and plans to double traffic from Lille-LesquinThis means four million passengers a year over the next twenty years or so. An investment of some 170 million euros to transform the terminal by making a clearer distinction between the arrival and departure areas. This new gateway - just fifteen minutes from the city centre - should further enhance the international appeal of the city, which is targeting business travellers from northern Europe in particular.