Land and housing

Overview

Introduction

Property markets in cross-border areas are considerably marked by the border effect. Disparities exist between the regulatory frameworks for housing, modes for funding of construction, and fiscal regimes between territories. Differences in property prices on either side of the border often being large, growing numbers of people are choosing to live and work in different countries, despite the increased daily journey times. Dynamics in the property market, together with the level of salaries, thus represents one of the major factors contributing to the phenomenon of cross-border workers. Daily cross-border mobility has considerable economic, social and environmental consequences.
Within French territory, two spaces in particular show high levels of cross-border mobility - the region facing Geneva at the Swiss border, and north Lorraine at the Luxembourg border. The numbers of workers commuting to these economically attractive countries continues to rise. This phenomenon generates a particular dynamic in cross-border territories, with high tensions in the property market and a growing need to increase the rental supply in proximity to the border.
Aside from the creation of new properties, cross-border territories are cooperating with regard to the renovation of housing and the creation of eco-districts, with the aim of creating a shared environmentally friendly living space across the border.