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This article focuses on the circulation of urban policy models and “best practices” and its influence on the reshaping of relationships between states and local governments. It suggests that the increasing mobility of practices, knowledge and initiatives in urban policies cannot only be explained by the horizontal and transnational dynamics of urban policy-making. It relies also on the restructuring by the state of the ways in which its policies are formulated and implemented at local levels. By assessing the National Program for Urban Renewal and the Sustainable City Plan, the article highlights the emergence of a new model of central-local relationships based on the state’s tracking of local “innovative” or “exemplary” initiatives, and on their certification and diffusion. This model of cross-circulation allows the state to strengthen its capacity to mobilize and coordinate urban policies from a distance without actually challenging the rising power of cities.