The city of Barcelonain addition to its beauty and richness of historical and artistic monuments, is also known for its characteristics urban plan made in squares. This model one of a kind, known as Piano Cerdàwas designed in 1860 to expand and reshape the city.
But why Barcelona was designed “in squares”? Let’s see what the origins of this plan are and how it influenced its urban development.
The Cerdà Plan
The Cerdà Planconceived by the engineer Ildefons Cerdà, involved the creation of a vast urban area organized like a grid or chessboarda, also commonly known as the Hippodamian scheme.
The design included blocks measuring 113.3 meters on each side, with buildings that could not exceed 16 meters in height. The streets, 20, 30 and 60 meters wide, were arranged to cross at right angles, forming an orderly and functional network. The Spanish government chose this plan, preferring it to that of Antoni Rovira i Trias, winner of a municipal competition in Barcelona, for his innovative approach to urban development.
Map of Barcelona: the checkerboard grid
The distinctive and characteristic feature of the Cerdà Plan is therefore constituted by its checkerboard plan, which extends from Besòs to Montjuïc.
Besòs and Montjuïc refer to two significant geographical points of Barcelona: The Besos river is located at north-east of Barcelona and represents one of the natural limits of the city, while Montjuïc is a prominent hill located in the south-westt, famous for its parks, sports installations (many of which were used during the 1992 Olympics) and its castle.
The blocks, known as “manzanas”, were designed uniformly, creating a continuous grid. An innovative and peculiar characteristic is constituted by the fact that the isolated ones have 45° beveled corners, called “chaflán”, able to offer greater visibility at intersections, designed to improve circulation and give a sense of order to the city.
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Advantages and controversies
The Cerdà Plan introduced a series of advantages for urban planning, such as uniform distribution of space and better accessibility.
However, the plan was also the subject of controversy, as it was imposed by the central government of the King of Spainwho preferred it to that of Antoni Rovira i Trias (who, we remember, was instead chosen by the Municipality).
Despite initial criticism, the Cerdà Plan has over time become a fundamental part of Barcelona’s urban identity. The city is today an incessant destination for tourists, able to easily visit its beauties and attractions thanks also to the engineer Ildefons Cerdà.
