Urban type: Grids - Research Paper Example

Urban Type: Grids With the expansive nature of the contemporary Western world, politicians and planners have increasingly considered ways of structuring the urban environment. In this context of understanding, one of the primary challenges has been means of structuring areas of transportation. While a variety of modes of transportation have been proposed, one of the most prominent is that of the grid system. The grid system is a type of city plan where streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid.

This essay examines the grid system in the context of Barcelona, Spain. The grid plan in Barcelona, Spain dates back to the 19th century and constituted one of the most progressive urban planning feats of its time (Hall). The plan was designed by Spanish urban planner Ildefons Cerdà i Sunyer in the Eixample district of Barcelona (Hall). There were a number of prominent influences on the creators of this grid pattern. One of the most overarching influences was from Modernista architects. Among the Modernista architects that influenced the grid system included Antoni Gaudi (Hall).

In addition to influences in the grid structure itself there are a variety of individuals that influenced the buildings that factor into the buildings and environment surrounding the grid. In these regards, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Josep Domènech i Estapà, and Josep Vilaseca i Casanova all contributed prominent architectural contributions to the surrounding area (Hall). While such buildings may seem extraneous to the grid system itself, when one considers the comprehensive means by which the grid system was constructed the nature of the surrounding area comes into important context.

The grid pattern consists of long straight streets crossed by wide avenues and square blocks. The corners of this grid system are referred to as chamfered corners. While the grid system itself contains right angles with straight streets, the planner considered many other aspects in the grid’s construction. Traffic, transportation, and sunlight were all considered in the grid’s construction. As a means of achieving this aims the grids were broadened in an octagonal shape at every intersection as a means of creating greater visibility and more functional ventilation.

While there is a number of prominent contributions the grid system made to Barcelona, there are also a number of negative aspects. In these regards, four sides surrounding a block were built, instead of two or three sides surrounding a garden. In addition, the streets are narrow and there were only two diagonal sections developed. Still, overall the grid system was highly functional and still constitutes a positive aspect of Barcelona architecture. In conclusion, this essay has examined the Barcelona grid system.

In this context of understanding, it’s demonstrated that the grid system was developed in the 19th century by urban planner Ildefons Cerdà i Sunyer. The system contains oblong streets that expand at intersections to create greater visibility and greater ventilation. There are a number of complaints about the system, including small street sizes and lack of diagonal streets. Ultimately, while there are shortcomings to the design, it constitutes a great advance in terms of urban planning. Pictures References Hall, Thomas.

Planning Europe’s Capital Cities: Aspects of Nineteenth-Century Urban Development. New York: Routledge. 1997.