NICE
Nice is consolidating its position as the French Riviera's leading construction market in 2026, driven by a combination of sustained international residential investment, major public transport infrastructure expansion, and the city's Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur's commitment to becoming a certified European Smart City by 2028. The construction sector contributed directly to an estimated 8.2% of the Alpes-Maritimes departmental GDP in 2025, its highest share on record, and 2026 is on track to exceed that figure.
The extension of Tram Line 2 — which will link the existing city-centre network to the Promenade des Anglais, the airport, and the western residential districts of Saint-Laurent-du-Var — is the largest single public infrastructure project in the metropolitan area. The €340 million civil works contract, awarded in late 2024, is now in full execution phase. Works along the Promenade des Anglais require exceptional coordination with the city's tourism authorities to minimise disruption during the peak summer season, with the heaviest construction phased into the October to April window each year.
Luxury residential construction along the Côte d'Azur remains exceptionally active. Heritage villas on the Cap-Ferrat, Cap-d'Antibes, and Ézé peninsulas are being comprehensively renovated by specialist contractors operating at the highest level of craft: stucco veneziano restorers, Carrara marble fitters, custom joinery specialists, and landscape designers capable of maintaining UNESCO-listed garden settings. The average budget for a major villa renovation in the premium market segment is now exceeding €8 million, with projects managed by internationally recognised project management firms.
Smart city infrastructure is creating entirely new categories of construction work in Nice. The city is rolling out an integrated urban management platform combining 3,200 smart sensors, real-time air quality monitoring, adaptive street lighting, and autonomous waste collection systems. The physical installation of this infrastructure — conduit works, junction boxes, sensor mast foundations, and the construction of a new urban data management centre — employs a growing number of ICT-specialist civil engineering contractors.