Eixample+District

Barcelona is now widely recognised as one of the most successful cities in the world, internationally acclaimed for its innovative urban planning. It has survived the economic, environmental and social changes of the last decades through focusing upon the provision of knowledge-based and information services to place itself in the forefront of a new urban wave, in which city planning provides high-quality opportunities for people to live and work. In short, Barcelona has been transformed into a city that provides a highly impressive urban environment to all who visit it.
 * Why is Barcelona considered one of the most successful cities in urban planning innovation? **



Since 1987, the city has been divided into 10 administrative districts, each one with its own council led by a city councilor. The composition of each district council depends on the number of votes each political party had in that district, so a district can be led by a councilor from a different party than the executive council. The districts are: Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Sants-Montjuïc, Les Corts, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Gràcia, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu and Sant Martí.
 * How's the city of Barcelona administrative divided? How many districts does it have? What are their names? **



The Eixample (Catalan for "extension", Spanish: Ensanche) is a district of Barcelona between the old city (Ciutat Vella) and what were once surrounding small towns (Sants, Gràcia, Sant Andreu etc.), constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
 * One of the districts' name is Eixample, what's the meaning of this Catalan word? **

The Eixample is characterized by long straight streets, a strict grid pattern crossed by wide avenues, and square blocks with chamfered corners (named illes in Catalan, manzanas in Spanish). This was a visionary, pioneering design by Ildefons Cerdà.
 * Who designed this distric? **



The district is often divided for practical purposes in two: Esquerra de l'Eixample and Dreta de l'Eixample (left and right sides of Eixample, respectively). Traditionally and officially it is divided into five neighbourhoods. These are, in addition to the areas already mentioned, Sant Antoni, Sagrada Família and Fort Pienc, also known as Fort Pius.
 * How is this district divided into? **

In times of expansion basically the “Plan Cerdá” consists of a grid of blocks of 133 meters with square cut in chamfer. In turn, each block should have an interior space for yard or garden; occupy the entire block or "apple" and not higher the 16 meters per building. Also, the building should have 14 meters wide and dual façade to ensure ventilation and natural light. The new ways of the city would be streets of 20 meters wide and wooded.
 * Main characteristics of the expansion **

Nonetheless, also seeking to innovate with the traditional layout of the city, Cerdá proposes diagonal avenues to break the monotonous grid. The most important avenue is the “Avenida Diagonal” that is projected as the main vehicular artery of the city, divided the district in to two parts.


 * Advantages brought to the city **

As it seems, we can consider the “Plan Cerdá” and his Eixample Dsitrict as a scientist and rigid plan and work. However, it was a very well thought out urban planning developed on the basis of a very deep study of the city, its people and its future prospects. Besides, he renewed the old conceptions about geometry and occupation of blocks and could control the process of expanding the city, turning the district into a landmark of the city and a successful urban planning.


 * Important landmarks, different neighborhoods... **

The Eixample District, is one of the 10 districts that include the city of Barcelona, and possibly the most popular and tourist. The Eixample District includes five (5) unique and different neighborhoods: La Dreta of l' Eixample, Sagrada Familia, L´Esquerra de l'Eixample, Fort Pienc and Sant Antoni.




 * Opinion about the expansion of Barcelona. **

Finally, in my opinon the widening of Cerdá has been one of the most successful urban planning in the world, despite the major changes to the original plan, anyway it was so well designed that is capable of adapting to other approaches and ways of a city. The widening of Barcelona is one of the first major urban planning undertaken across Europe, and is a great example of urban design, urban renewal provoke unthinkable in a city that had been gradually declining. At present, the system devised by Cerdá is still used for city planning.



In the first half of XIX century Barcelona was a medieval city with great walls that prevented it from growing. It was a messy city which had building restrictions on its outside. It was very difficult to grow and it had to spread through small towns near the city. But this was not enough, for the second half of the century was a priority to make an expansion plan for Barcelona. This plan was designed by Ildefonso Cerdá.
 * WEEK 5 **
 * Eixample district **

Cerdá searched for a perfect grid pattern with octagonal blocks, where all the streets were equal and had equal value; some were parallel to the sea and others perpendicular. This was made for looking for comfort when walking and using the carriage, besides being a good way of leveling classes. To this we must add a few major diagonal corridors linking that communicates the Eixample with neighboring districts (formerly with neighboring towns).

Ildefonso Cerdá devised a plan where cities were made for people; he considered the health problem as the most important ones, not only physical health but also the social health. That’s why he planeds an extension with a shaped grid where everything was the equal without distinction of social classes. The plan paid particular attention to the issue of recreation, especially with regard to the needs of children and old people. In this sense, He planed neighborhood gardens where children and old people were able to recreate.

Cerdá made specially emphasis on the lighting and ventilation that’s why he proposed that the streets should be 20 m wide and the height of buildings should not exceed 16 m, all this in order for the sun to enter into the streets without problems.

More than a century after that, the Eixample is more valid than ever, it is the heart of Barcelona and it helped it to be one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Europe. This was one of the most effective urban plans, only comparable with the Haussmann’s plan and the Burnham’s Chicago. The expansion is all that a city should be and a real sign that cities can go from being a real mess to a perfect city full of comfort.

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