The agencies are created under the initiative of the local communities of the concerned urban area, being or not institutionalised through an inter-communal structure, in strong relationship with the Central Government.

They also associate as much as possible into their board & budget the other local communities (Département, Region) and the existing inter-communal structures.

FNAU is a network of some 1,500 professionals within 51 agencies :
as at Jan.1st, 2008, some 33 millions inhabitants, i.e. more than 50% of the French population, were living within a territory covered by the activity of an agency of the FNAU network. contact agencies