Ensemble and master plan
Block
neighborhood planhousing complexcity centermixed-use development
It is the land surrounded by streets on all sides. It can be built along its edge, with a free interior, or with freestanding buildings.
What it solves
Its size and shape decide how many corners the neighborhood has, how much shade and breeze reach the interior and where the shared courtyards are.
Today
Prefer short blocks, with buildings facing the street and a green interior for those who live there. Open passages through long blocks to make walking shorter.
Common mistake
Closing all four sides of the block and then filling its interior with construction until the garden, light and air are lost.
Tomorrow
The block interior can once again be a place of trees, rainwater that soaks in and nearby play for children. Barcelona has already opened dozens of those interiors to the public.
Fact In Barcelona’s Eixample the original plan provided for half the area to be green, but over the years open space shrank to about 10 percent.
Where it comes from
- 1Eixample of Barcelona Barcelona, Spain, 1859
Ildefons Cerdà proposed square blocks of 113.3 meters with chamfered corners, built on two sides and with a large garden in the interior. - 2Commissioners’ Plan New York, United States, 1811
It covered Manhattan with long, narrow blocks that repeat the same dimension regardless of the terrain. - 3Spanish colonial period San José, Costa Rica, late 18th century
The blocks of the district were divided into lots around the plaza, with the leading residents near the center.
Masters
- Ildefons Cerdà Eixample of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 1859
He conceived the block with chamfers for light and for turning at the corners and with an inner garden for the health of its residents. His idea of ruralizing the city still guides the recovery of the interiors. - Christian de Portzamparc Masséna district, Paris, France, 2007
He divides the block into buildings of different heights and shapes with openings between them leading to a shared courtyard. It is the open block, halfway between the closed block and the freestanding tower.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Ensemble and master plan
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.