Barcelona’s
Eixample Ildefons Cerda
A modern application of a historic urban fabric in the city of Eindhoven
Bastiaan Vennink June 8 , 2015
Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 2. Introduction of the concept ................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Historic context................................................................................................................................. 4 2.2 Scientific approach ........................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Urban Fabric ..................................................................................................................................... 4 2.4 Handling the existing city ................................................................................................................. 5 3. Examining Eindhoven.............................................................................................................................. 5 3.1 History of Eindhoven ........................................................................................................................ 5 3.2 Analyze Eindhoven............................................................................................................................ 6 4. Transforming Eindhoven ........................................................................................................................ 6 4.1 Implementation ................................................................................................................................ 6 4.2 Result ................................................................................................................................................ 7 5. Reviewing the application ...................................................................................................................... 8 5.1 Conclusion......................................................................................................................................... 8 6. Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Appendix 1. Map of Eindhoven with overlay of Cerda’s grid ................................................................... 10 Appendix 2. Map of Cerda’s grid in Eindhoven ........................................................................................ 11 Appendix 3. Cerda’s grid adapting............................................................................................................ 12 Appendix 4. Usage of modern Barcelona ................................................................................................. 13 but also enhance the natural qualities the
Abstract This paper researches the impact that Cerda’s Theory of Urbanization could
region has. Some elements will remain, while most will be left out.
have had on Eindhoven, would it have
It is also an attempt to diminish social
been developed following its principles.
hierarchy. By using the identical grid
As can be seen, Barcelona and Eindhoven are developed in a very different way.
structure, there is no difference between lots.
Eindhoven has its radial-concentric traffic
Even though Cerda’s grid comes with
system,
multiple advantages, it also creates some
which
implicitly
comes
with
hierarchy. Combing both principles will result in a very different city. Implementation will differ the spatial qualities of Eindhoven,
problems. Functions are scattered around the city and because hierarchy is gone, neighborhoods can lack an identity. In the end an interesting result remains.
2
The main idea of this paper is to look at
1. Introduction
the impact a historic concept can have on
The thesis statement that will be researched during this paper is: Applying
a modern city. The result will be a city that is totally influenced by another concept.
Cerdà ’s principles to Eindhoven will solve
First an introduction of the concept will be
the mono-functional problems, decrease
given, after which the major components
hierarchy
are described. To apply the concept in a
between
neighborhoods
and
better distribute public facilities. This
paper
examines
a
correct way, the relevant aspects of modern
interpretation of a historic urban fabric, namely Cerda’s Eixample of Barcelona. Whereas social context has changed, its principles are still applicable today. Good hygiene, accessibility and social equality are important aspects for which Cerda
modern Eindhoven will be laid out. After both concepts can be understood, the application
will
be
described.
The
consequences of this operation will be shown content. deduced
in
both Finally
textual a
from
and
conclusion the
imagery can
be
results.
tries to define the best urban conditions. The
Eixample
in
Barcelona
is
an
illustration of a structured expansion, but this was not the standard of that time. E.g. Eindhoven is a city that has its origin in multiple villages, which grew together. After a major increase of inhabitants at the beginning of the 20 t h century, the city of Eindhoven decided to implement a radial-concentric
traffic
layout.
The
differences in structure make both cities look
really
interesting
different. to
see
It
how
is the
therefore housing
conditions in Eindhoven would have been,
1. Modern Eindhoven
should it have been based on a grid structure as was used in Barcelona.
3
2. Introduction of the concept
approach. This scientific approach meant that one had to use research to decide what the best possible solution would be.
2 . 1 H isto r ic con te xt The historic context of the 19 t h
To lecture himself the most common
century provides an uncertain situation to
urban principles, Cerda examined the
develop an urban master plan. Barcelona
qualities and weaknesses of various cities,
wanted
the
including Paris and London. During this
authorial government wanted to maintain
research he found that Barcelona was by
control over the city. The tension between
far the densest city. His study is best
Catalonia and Spain was at its peak, when
explained by the 5 basis of urbanization.
also the need of additional housing was
This theory consist 5 aspects for which he
escalating.
explains why the chosen solution is the
to
be
independent,
but
The city wall was a clear
display of that. Spain had built this wall to
best
maintain control over the city, whereas
underline the way in which Cerda thought,
the Catalonian opposition wanted the wall
and it is for that reason difficult to
demolished. Whoever proposed a master
understand that not all of his equations
plan for Barcelona, also had to decide
contain verifiable variables. This might be
what
This
due the lack of scientific knowledge, but
automatically meant making a political
his proposal was never really criticized for
statement. Because Cerda was directing in
this particular reason.
to
do
with
this
wall.
service of the central government, he
possible
one.
These
principles
2 . 3 U r ba n Fa b r ic
appeared to be pro-government. But as
After thorough investigations of
can be found in his research, he tried to
the different cities and street patterns,
support the best living conditions for all
Cerda studied the best dimensions in
inhabitants.
which
2 . 2 S cien t if ic ap p ro a ch
transportation was one of the major
To Eixample,
better we
understand
have
to
look
Cerda’s into
his
his
extension
would
fit.
Fluid
principles on which the Eixample was based. Overcrowding had made Barcelona
personal background. Ildefons Cerda was
a
educated as a civil engineer. Whereas
facilitators could not move through the
architects
city quickly. Also the combination of carts
were
known
for
their
slow
and
unpractical
and
aesthetics,
were
managed. Cerda thought transportation
acknowledged to use a more scientific
by train or tram could be a solution of the
engineers
was
not
Public
conservative attitude and concern for civil
pedestrians
city.
adequately
4
sluggish movement throughout the city.
alternative. So in Barcelona Cerda applied
Wide streets and well defined spaces
an improved system. This meant that
provide clear boundaries. The corners of
people who were displaced from their
the building blocks are cut, so that the
homes by the expropriation, would get a
tram can pass through the blocks more
new home in the extension, which was
easily.
built at the same time. This way the harms
Next to transportation, hygiene played an important role as well. The existing city was very dense, which resulted in bad hygiene and small houses. Therefore, the new
building
blocks
needed
to
have
enough space for the necessary hygienic improvements.
The
combination
of
a
caused by the reform were kept to a minimum and the extension would have inhabitants from the beginning.
3. Examining Eindhoven 3 . 1 H isto r y o f E in d ho ven The municipality of Eindhoven has
transport system and hygienic standards
its origin in 1920. Before that, all people
resulted in the wide dimensions of the
and
streets and building blocks.
throughout
2 . 4 H a nd lin g t he ex ist ing cit y
financial
workers
lived the
and
in
region.
logistical
little
villages
Because problems
of the
As Cerda found during his research,
villages decided to join their forces and
without an extension a reform of the old
combine them in “Groot (big) Eindhoven”.
city would not be possible, and without a
The former village of Eindhoven was only
reform
can
be
the smallest of villages, which were part
which
the
of the collaboration. Probably because of
expropriation was handled. During the
its strategic position this ultimately lead
design of the plan one major difficulty
to be the origin of its name and center of
remained; how to deal with the existing
the new town. What was then known as
city, and how to blend it in with the
Eindhoven, is today’s shopping center of
extension. As a solution, Cerda proposed
Groot Eindhoven. For the purpose of this
three new boulevards through the old city,
research
which ultimately meant expropriation of
Eindhoven is set to be the maintained city
the lands from the rich elite. However,
center, with the extension surrounding it.
when Cerda visited Paris to look at
The former water channels could be seen
Haussmann’s
it
as the city borders which the extension
existed,
has to adapt to, as the city wall was in
no
explained
unhuman
extension.
by
that
the
way
project,
This in
he
expropriation
found
without giving the former owners any
proposal,
this
inner
city
of
Barcelona.
5
inner one on a city scale. These roads are
3 . 2 A na lyz e E indh o v en To get a better understanding of
connected by concentric roads, which lead
how Cerda’s plan could be implemented in
directly towards the city center. Traffic
Eindhoven,
jams
the
spatial
identities
are
examined. Various qualities of the urban
occur
on
all
scales
and
are
interrelated.
fabric can be found both surrounding the city center and in the peripheries. If we
4. Transforming Eindhoven
look at the different locations of public services
like
police
stations,
fire
4 . 1 I mp lem e ntat ion
departments and hospitals, we see that all
When we start imagining Eindhoven
of these are outside the inner city. The
being built following Cerda’s urban fabric,
only governmental service inside the inner
the whole of Eindhoven starts to change.
city is its town hall.
The
concentric-radial
traffic
structure
that is in place now will disappear. The For several years, Eindhoven had a policy of intensifying the city center which means, next to some housing, the majority is filled in by retail stores. This makes the inner city a particular functional one. However,
this
policy
caused
several
problems as well. During the day the inner city is a vibrant place used for shopping and social interaction, but after the stores
different
characteristics
neighborhoods,
how
of
current
beautiful
or
unpleasant they seem to be, will belong to the
past.
The
“Dommel-zone”
should
remain an untouched natural corridor through new network. Public services like hospitals and police stations need to be moved in the new pattern, but have to be on accessible places.
are closed it becomes a vacant area in the the
The expropriation process, one of the 5
policies concerning this problem changed,
aspects of Cerda’s theory, should be
and
to
handled in a different way than how they
rehabilitate the area. By adding multiple
did in Barcelona. Eindhoven is already
functions to the center, the inner city
fully occupied, so people have to be
should be vibrant place throughout the
moved accordingly. The development of
whole day.
the extension should be started in the less
evening
and
the
overnight.
municipality
Recently
now
tries
populated areas, so people of the denser The traffic system is very hierarchical. Various radial roads enclose the city, the outer one functions on a national scale,
areas can move in, as after which their former land can be developed. This way the whole of Eindhoven could transform
the middle on a regional scale, and the
6
from
Groot
Eindhoven
to
Cerda’s
Eindhoven.
4 . 2 Re s ult The social distribution of Eindhoven is mixed according to Cerda’s principles. Two districts in Eindhoven, ‘Woensel’ and ‘de Karpen’, are two of Netherlands’ poorest
and
richest
neighborhoods
respectively. Woensel is known for its working-class Karpen
is
dwellings,
recognizable
whereas by
its
de large
mansions and multitude of greenery. By implementing the regular grid structure of Cerda, these characteristics are no longer present. Equally distributed land should
2. Grid on top of Modern Eindhoven
restore the social equality of the region and
bad
reputations
are
no
longer
Good dispersal of public services, will ensure the availability for all layers of
applicable.
society. By locating public services along The new major avenues are of greatest importance of connecting the city of Eindhoven to its surroundings. They can replace the ring roads which function on
the diagonal axis, it is ensured that everyone
can
access
them
quickly.
Thereby will this benefit response times of services like fire squads and ambulances.
city- and regional-scale. The roads are well connected in the city and lead towards neighboring cities. Their value can be found in approachability of the city and connectivity between the others. This accounts for short visits, as well as for long
stays.
Because the avenues
are
centralized and well embedded within the street pattern, their value is equally great
Even though the gridiron can flatten most of the hierarchy in the city, some parts will cope with rising land values and attract wealthier residents. E.g. because the Dommel-zone will be retained as a natural corridor through the regular grid pattern,
there
will
be
an
increased
demand for houses next to it.
for all citizens. The gridiron will assist the
In other parts of the city, the new urban
diagonal
fabric will try and dissolve the segmented
traffic.
avenues
and
facilitate
local
living environments, like they exist in in
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the center of Eindhoven. Because all
would be a major task to accomplish in
functions are mixed within the different
Eindhoven.
building blocks, the streets will be used
replacements for housing and to maintain
during the whole day and will no longer be
equality
empty by night.
difficult. However, due to some vacant
Finally, the old city needs its reform. Because the living conditions are not as
in
To
land
arrange
adequate
distribution
will
be
industrial sites through town, this seems not to be impossible.
dense and unhygienic as they were in
Altogether,
Cerda’s
Eindhoven
would
Barcelona, this reform does not have to be
answer some difficulties Eindhoven is
drastic in terms of physical change. What
facing today, but while doing so, will raise
is now a shopping center, could get a
questions for itself.
whole new identity in the new Eindhoven. A
mixture
of
housing,
retail
shops,
entertainment and workshops could make it a cultural district in a monotonous city.
5. Reviewing the application 5 . 1 Co nclu s io n Applying Cerda’s urban theory to the city of Eindhoven results in a very interesting outcome. Because the current radial-concentric structure and Cerda’s gridiron are so different, the spatial qualities
of
Eindhoven
will
certainly
change. The different identities will be lost, but so will its social hierarchy. New opportunities will arise. The problems of mono-functionality as the city center is
3. Cerda’s Eindhoven
facing today could be solved by mixing different
functions
within
the
same
building blocks. An
important
economic
aspect
solutions
for
of
Cerda,
the
expropriation,
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6. Bibliography B. Pallares, D. B. (2011). Cerdà and Barcelona: The need for a new city and service provision. Urbani Izziv vol. 22, No. 2 122-136. Busquets, J. (n.d.). Barcelona, the urban evolution of a compact city. Harvard University, 122-142. Cerdà. (n.d.). Generalitat de Catalunya. E. Aibar, W. B. (1997). Constructing a City: The Cerda Plan for the Extension of Barcelona. Science, Technology, & Human Values, Vol. 22, 3-30. M. Hvattum, C. H. (2004). Tracing Modernity, Manifestations of the modern in architecture and the city. London: Routledge. Neuman, M. (2012). Ildefons Cerdà and the future of spatial planning. The Town Planning Review vol. 82, No. 2. Puig, A. S. (2000). Cerda : the five bases of the general theory of urbanization. Sociedad Editorial Electa Espana. Ramos, A. (2012). The Cerdà effect on city modernisation. The Town Planning Review vol. 83, No. 6. The Eixample. (2015). Geography fieldwork. Walking through Cerdà's plan. (2012). EPFL Lausanne. Wang, Y. (2012). Barcelona: Block City. Architectural Association Graduate School.
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Appendix 1. Map of Eindhoven with overlay of Cerda’s grid
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Appendix 2. Map of Cerda’s grid in Eindhoven
Map of “Cerda’s Eindhoven”. The green patterns are the existing public parks, which remain in the adapted plan. The old city is shown in black, as are the TU/e campus and public facilities and the PSV-
stadium. The stadium could be seen as a modern asylum for the inhabitants of Eindhoven, as was the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
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Appendix 3. Cerda’s grid adapting adapting Adapting to Barcelona Existing city (Grey) Extension (Orange)
Adapting to Eindhoven Existing city (Grey) Extension (Orange) Adapting blocks (Red) Dommel-zone (Green)
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Appendix 4. Usage of modern Barcelona
Barcelona, social media locations. (Orange Message, Black Picture)
Barcelona, Taxi usage throughout the day.
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Appendix 4 . Usage of modern
The non-hierarchical grid structure plays an active role in this usage of space. It
Barcelona.
seems
As a side note, I came across some big data of Barcelona, produced and analyzed by atNight. The images show the
this
is
an
inhabitants
of
Barcelona,
somewhat
separate
advantage
from
for
the
which
live
all
these
activities.
locations in which people talk on social
This kind of movement will take less
media (orange), and locations tourists
rigorous forms in Eindhoven, since the
take pictures of the city (black dots).
parks and landmark buildings are less
What I found interesting is that the majority of social media activities take place in the historic city, as well as at the Sagrada Familia and Park GuĂŤll, but is not
unique.
The
habitants
could
therefor
benefit a lot from this kind of movement system, compared to the radial-concentric system.
really present in the regular grid of the Eixample. All this is in big contrast with the usage of Taxi’s, which are used throughout the whole grid. It therefor seems that the old city is more attractive Eixample
for is
tourists, intensively
whereas used
by
the its
inhabitants. This probably is the result of the monotonous architecture, which the majority of tourists find not as interesting as it is.
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