In France, the debate over the new territories usually deals with reforming the networks, zoning and districts. Such territorial division is linked to the question of its legitimacy. Between administrative, elective and project structures, some suggest the echelons should be eliminated. But a paradox does exist – that of the age of the networks, then of their resistance to change as well as their rationalization. These networks, or echelons, are identity referents that come from a territorial construction deeply rooted in French history.