1 of 5
Photo by Josep Brangul
Working class way of life
Cerdà, influenced by living conditions of the average family, focused on key needs such as the need for sunlight, natural lighting and ventilation in homes and the need for greenery in people's surroundings. The engineer also focused on sanitation and the need for effective waste disposal including good sewerage
2 of 5
Photo by Josep Domínguez
Demolition
In the 1850s, Barcelona was able to expand both physically, with the long-awaited demolition of the walls, and psychologically, with economic expansion and the cultural awakening of the Catalan 'Renaixenca' (rebirth)
3 of 5
Photo by Josep Gaspar
Urban planning
Cerdà's central goal was to overcome social problems by using quadrangular blocks of a standard size
4 of 5
Photo courtesy of: Oficina Any Cerdà
Demolition
Cerdà's plan was the first example of urban planning and was influenced by social thinkers of the time. The l'Eixample was planned using an extensive grid-iron pattern with the development spreading to connect Barcelona to the outlying towns
5 of 5
Ildefons Cerdà
Catalan engineer, Cerdà had surveyed and drawn the city's first accurate plans in 1855