This paper explores and tries to understand the recent and challenging multiplication of political institutions aiming to manage the cross-border genevan urban area. The recent and increasing international collaboration at regional scale strikes indeed for a city which accommodated, among others, the League of Nations since 1920. We argue that the conscious will to transfer a part of genevan urbanization, mainly on the northern part of french Haute-Savoie, favoured in turn a wide range of risks as well as their official recognition. It helps to explain the institutional evolution mentionned. Such an interpretation is consistent with the trend of urbanization to produce the main conditions of its evolutions, while pushing human societies to manage previous policies unwanted and partly predictable effects. A general scheme, relying on systemic analysis, is proposed to depict this process. Such an interpretation induces to discuss if not to reduce the relevance of cultural and specific political factors, such as the french-swiss boundary effect, on the progressive formation of the genevan urban area.