Grids by Architects

America:

The New York City master plan of Manhattan, or as we call it “the greatest grid”, was the result of the commissioners plan of 1811. The grid planning went back to ancient Greece and Rome. The proposed grid was to extend from Houston street to 155th street, a process that was estimated to take 60 years. A commercially minded plan containing no parks or plazas. The idea of making the grid was “deeply subversive” because New York was still undeveloped  unusually shaped, and composed of privately owned properties. Property lines were redrawn and streets repaved. Landowners were unwelcoming to this idea until they discovered that the subdivided lots came to be worth fortunes; property values boomed. The grid gave New York a sense of monumentality and order. No two blocks the same, proving to be flexible enough to adapt when city’s orientation shift North to South. It promoted sociability and allowed higher density.


France:

George Haussman’s urban modernization scheme for Paris in 1853-1870 followed a Baroque Style. Paris was the capital of the 19th century. There was a mass change in scale and the new streets built came with new “spaces”. Which led to people wondering the streets and hanging out; Flanders. I big part of the new grid design that made it work was the railroad system. Congestion became a big issue during this time. Haussman’s response to this was to eliminate buildings. His plan was to clear the streets t make the new monuments more visible. all of the poor people that once populated this area was pushed to the suburbs, making the new center city for the elite. Along with the improved site plan came improved circulation, sanitation, security, and society.

Spain:

The grid seen in Barcelona, Spain was created by Ildefrons Cerda. His approach the design of the grid was guided by elements such as traffic, transportation  sunlight, and ventilation. The blocks came to be octagonal where the streets broadened at every intersection. All together giving Barcelona more visibility and ventilation as well as providing more space for functions such as parking. His overall idea was to create inner garden spaces within each block.