The recent decentralization reforms in France identify “intercommunality” (institutionalized municipal cooperation) as the reference level for the implementation of local policies. Inhabitants are however struggling to acknowledge these institutions, either ignoring or not paying attention to them. Conversely, the population understands more clearly ‘local’ community policies such as water management, waste collection and treatment, and public transport. These urban services could therefore represent a gateway to develop ‘intercommunal culture’, or a means to overcome the municipal scale and endorse an expanded territory. As studying these services permits analysis of the relationship between inhabitants and intercommunality, 600 questionnaires and 50 interviews were undertaken in the Le Havre (CODAH) and Rouen (CREA) urban areas.