The focus of this paper is to discuss the difficulties with flood hazard management in urban areas. The main problem is that interactions between flood risk and spatial characteristics of cities are barely taken into consideration. The case of the Parisian metropolitan area is even more complicated as metropolitan and local urban dynamics combine. We examine the management tools currently being used and the system of actors involved to show the limits of the French operations. We then explore ways to develop a governance framework that takes flood hazard into account when considering metropolitan land development.