The pace of urbanisation is quite regular, but is proceeding even slower than was expected by the current SCoT. Despite aspirations to increase density within the city, suburbanisation and peri-urbanisation continue apace and appear difficult to stop (Box 2.8). At the same time, even if the core of the city provides building opportunities on the old industrial land, the process of reconversion is difficult to handle because of the cost of remediating soil pollution and the possibility of archaeological constraints. But, in Clermont-Ferrand, as in other urban places, there seems to be a clear preference by many households for this type for dispersed development, and not the more compact approach favoured by planners and city officials. As has been discussed, this imposes a number of costs and externalities including the environmental costs of commuting and fiscal costs borne by the municipality when expanding and servicing infrastructure to peri-urban areas.