This report presents the synthesis of three empirical studies conducted in Toulouse between June 2007 and Febrary 2009 within the ACRE programme, This research aims at understanding the motivations of high-skilled employees in the creative and knowledge sectors (such as audiovisual, advertising, software, bank, consultancy, research and education) to move in this city and to settle inside. The authors try in particular to evaluate the weight of two types of location factors : the classical " hard factors " , such as business opportunities, accessibility, availability of dwellings, infrastructures and tax incentives, and several " soft factors ", related to more immaterial conditions such as atmosphere, tolerance of the population or cultural diversity of the region. This study is based on current theories on urban competitiveness, focusing on the importance of individual choices and the changing working conditions in a context of a global and increasingly dematerialised economy.