Editing Cambrai (section)

====The 20th century====
[[File:Cambrai grand-place maison a pignon.JPG|thumb|left|upright|On the Grand-Place the specification of reconstruction imposed a regional style]]
[[File:MERESSE 2038 - CAMBRAI Pendant l'incendie - La Choque et Place au Bois.JPG|thumb|right|Ruins of the town centre, in 1917]]

The destruction caused by [[World War I]] necessitated a reconstruction of the centre. The municipality organised a competition, which was won by {{Interlanguage link multi|Pierre Leprince-Ringuet|fr}}. His project, inspired with both a [[Regionalism (politics)|regionalist]] taste and the [[Georges-Eugène Haussmann|Hausmannian]] style, completely redesigned the layout of roads from the [[Middle Ages]]. It was rebuilt as a modern city. The architect [[Louis Marie Cordonnier]] described the prospects to elected representatives:

{{pull quote|The centre of the city is completely razed and destroyed. So, you have free rein. Your duty is to remake a city pleasant, modern, retaining its character. Acting otherwise would be a crime for which you would be responsible to future generations. Your streets were narrow, twisty: Straighten them, adjust them, expand them. Your houses were awkward, obscure, unhealthy: Enforce in your specifications the requirements for hygiene, for ventilation, for lighting.|author=[[Louis Marie Cordonnier]]|source=''La Vie des Cambrésiens'' [The Life of the People of Cambrai]<ref group=a>quote p.199</ref>}}

The Leprince-Ringuet plan was only partially achieved, but the streets were removed, others expanded, and new paths were created as the ''Avenue de la Victoire'' [Avenue of Victory].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Further destruction due to the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombing of April–August 1944 again required a reconstruction. It was especially, in the years following [[World War II]], to rehouse the victims and to cope with the expanding population. Priority was given to detached houses, and new quarters appeared, such as the "Martin–Martine" subdivision south-east of the city. In the 1980s, the municipality worked to restore and develop the ancient heritage.{{cn|date=February 2025}}