Editing Tours (section)

====Post-war developments====
A plan for the rebuilding of the central area drawn up by the local architect [[Camille Lefèvre]] had been adopted even before the end of the war. The plan was for 20 small quadrangular blocks of housing to be arranged around the main road (la [[rue Nationale]]), which was widened. This regular layout attempted to echo but simplify the 18th-century architecture. [[Pierre Patout]] succeeded Lefèvre as the architect in charge of rebuilding in 1945. At one time, there was talk of demolishing the southern side of the [[rue Nationale]] to make it in keeping with the new development.

The recent history of Tours is marked by the personality of [[Jean Royer]], who was mayor for 36 years and helped save the old town from demolition by establishing one of the first [[Conservation Areas]]. This example of conservation policy would later inspire the Malraux Law for the safeguarding of historic city centres. In the 1970s, Jean Royer also extended the city to the south by diverting the course of the [[Cher (river)|Cher River]] to create the districts of Rives du Cher and des Fontaines. At the time, it was one of the largest urban developments in Europe. In 1970, the [[François Rabelais University]] was founded and centred on the bank of the Loire in the downtown area, not, as was the current practice, in a campus in the suburbs. The latter solution was also chosen by the twin university of Orleans. Royer's long term as mayor was, however, not without controversy, as is exemplified by the construction of the practical but aesthetically unattractive motorway, which runs along the bed of a former canal just {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=off}} from the cathedral. Another bone of contention was the original Vinci Congress Centre by [[Jean Nouvel]]. The project incurred debts although it  at least made Tours one of France's principal conference centres.

[[Jean Germain (politician)|Jean Germain]], a member of the Socialist Party, became mayor in 1995 and made debt reduction his priority. Ten years later, his economic management was regarded as much wiser than that of his predecessor because of the financial stability of the city returning. However, his achievements were criticised by the municipal opposition for a lack of ambition. There were no large building projects instituted under his two terms. That position is disputed by those in power, who affirm their policy of concentrating on the quality of life, as evidenced by urban restoration, the development of public transport and cultural activities.