Editing Nantes (section)

==={{anchor|Urban morphology}}Urban layout===
[[File:Boulevard de Launay (Nantes) 1.JPG|thumb|alt=Photo of Boulevard de Launay|Boulevard de Launay, west of the city centre]]
Nantes's layout is typical of French towns and cities. It has a historical centre with old monuments, administrative buildings and small shops, surrounded by 19th-century [[faubourg]]s surrounded by newer suburban houses and [[Public housing in France|public housing]]. The city centre has a medieval core (corresponding to the former walled town) and 18th-century extensions running west and east. The northern extension, Marchix, was considered squalid and nearly disappeared during the 20th century. The old town did not extend south before the 19th century, since it would have meant building on the unsteady islands in the Loire.{{sfn|Plan local d'urbanisme|2007}}

The medieval core has narrow streets and a mixture of half-timbered buildings, more recent sandstone buildings, post-[[World War II]] reconstruction and modern redevelopment. It is primarily a student neighbourhood, with many bars and small shops. The eastern extension (behind [[Nantes Cathedral]]) was traditionally inhabited by the [[aristocracy]], and the larger western extension along the Loire was built for the [[bourgeoisie]]. It is Nantes's most-expensive area, with wide avenues, squares such as the [[Place Saint-Pierre, Nantes|Place Saint-Pierre]] and ''[[hôtel particulier|hôtels particuliers]]''.{{sfn|Pierre Falga|2007}} The area was extended towards the Parc de Procé during the 19th century. The other faubourgs were built along the main boulevards and the plateaus, turning the valleys into parks.{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=991}} Outside central Nantes several villages, including Chantenay, Doulon, L'Eraudière and Saint-Joseph-de-Porterie, were absorbed by urbanisation.{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=83}}

[[File:Nantes 2005 7.jpg|thumb|alt=Apartment blocks photographed across the Erdre|Port-Boyer and the Erdre]]
After [[World War II]], several [[housing project]]s were built to accommodate Nantes's growing population. The oldest, Les Dervallières, was developed in 1956 and was followed by Bellevue in 1959 and Le Breil and Malakoff in 1971.{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=83}} Once areas of poverty, they are experiencing regeneration since the 2000s.{{sfn|Julie Urbach|2016}} The northern outskirts of the city, along the [[Erdre]], include the main campus of the [[University of Nantes]] and other institutes of higher education. During the second half of the 20th century, Nantes expanded south into the [[Communes of France|communes]] of [[Rezé]], [[Vertou]] and [[Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire]] (across the Loire but near the city centre) and north-bank communes including [[Saint-Herblain]], [[Orvault]] and [[Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire]].{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=83}}

The {{convert|4.6|km2|adj=on}} Isle of Nantes is divided between former shipyards on the west, an old faubourg in its centre and modern housing estates on the east. Since the 2000s, it has been subject to the conversion of former industrial areas into office space, housing and leisure facilities. Local authorities intend to make it an extension of the city centre. Further development is also planned on the north bank along an axis linking the train station and the Loire.{{sfn|Plan local d'urbanisme|2007}}