Spatial frameworks are often used to give structure to urbanisation processes typically at the metropolitan scale. In France, for example, city contracts between the national government and inter-municipal bodies and municipalities have been an effective policy instrument (Box 6.1). Spatial planning legislation is a common instrument for managing urbanisation, though this is not necessarily articulated at the national scale. Regional planning frameworks are widely applied, some of which reference national policy settings or, in the case of Europe, supra-national frameworks.