DIVERGENT

SPACES
Ilinca Florea(1704540)
Oana Roman(1656309)
Sabina Hotoi(1715887)

7X3X0 History of European Architecture and Urbanism

RESEARCH QUESTION

"How did the transition from the enclosed medieval city to the implementation of Ildefons Cerdà's
Eixample plan in Barcelona between 1750 and the mid-19th century influence and shape the concept of
'Divergent Spaces' within the urban fabric, and what were the key drivers and transformations
contributing to this evolution?"
ESSAY

The history of Barcelona starts from the first humans settling according to archaeological remains, as far
back as 5,000 BC (Busquets, 2014). The city’s origins trace back to the Romans, who settled in the area in
the first century BC, built in the medieval city of Barcino (Santamaria-Varas & Diez-Martinez, 2016). The
morphology of the city illustrates the characteristic Roman grid of perpendicular streets, surrounded by a
wall roughly of 1.5 kilometres in circumference (Roberts, 2019). From its founding, the compressing of
the population in a small perimeter was a symbol. The city has been limited in, by physical walls and later
by the restrictions of topography, ensuring that the residents are crammed tightly together. Exploring the
early ages of history will represent the base of the research and will illuminate the changes that
happened during the years of 1750, 1823, 1903 and further with the implementation of Cerda’s plan that
extended the boundaries of the city. This paper aims to answer the following research question:

"How did the transition from the enclosed medieval city to the implementation of Ildefons Cerdà's
Eixample plan in Barcelona between 1750 and the mid-19th century influence and shape the concept of
'Divergent Spaces' within the urban fabric, and what were the key drivers and transformations
contributing to this evolution?"

To answer the research question the year 1750 has been investigated first.

Tracing back to the roman times of Barcino, the city went through several changes that shaped the
consolidation of its boundaries. The grid of perpendicular axis, the cardo maximus and the decumanus
maximus, was used, which crossed at the central point of the colony, the northernmost corner of present
day, Placa de Sant Jaume, where the Cathedral of Barcelona is positioned (Busquets, 2014).
Subsequently, it will be observed that this element represents the origin of all future adjustments and
additions, while every step of evolution is divergent to this space. The Romans were familiar with the
orthogonal regularity of square or rectangular street blocks, especially with the Greek cities constructed
in the south of the peninsula and had learned the Etruscan technique for regular layouts. This then was
the basis for an urban order born of the principles of regularity and Roman city planning techniques,
which were to mark the urban development of Barcelona. The same order of horizontal and vertical axes
(north-west/ south-east and south-west/north-east) was later subject to a similar interpretation in
Cerda’s 19th century plan as the main axes for the colonisation of the Barcelona plain (Busquets, 2014).

After the fall of the Roman Empire and several invasions, the year of 1260 marks the construction of the
fortification wall, which aimed to protect against the series of conquests with Visigoths, Arabs and later
the Habsburgs.

The Gothic aesthetic, divergent from the Renaissance and Baroque architecture that dominated the most
major European cities, was a distinctive aspect of the city. The 15th century served as the expansion of the
wall on the west side, to encompass the new Raval neighbourhood, since population couldn’t’ fit the
existing walls (Santamaria-Varas & Diez-Martinez, 2016). In September 1714, the city was captured by
Castilian and French troops after a 14-month blockade and siege. This was a disaster both for the
Catalans and their capital city. The city government was abolished, and Catalonia was subjected to the
central authority based in Madrid. In Barcelona, the Spanish Army was the dominant power throughout
the whole of the 18th century and was responsible also for the radical changes in the city structure,
which Barcelona experienced during this century (Santamaria-Varas & Diez-Martinez, 2016). Philip V
conquered the city and maintained the fortification wall but ordered the construction of the Ciutadella to
gain military control over the city. La Ribera, the most commercially active quarter of Barcelona was torn
down to make way for this fortress together with its esplanade.

The fortifications were extended to defend the city from outside attack. However, securing the city’s
circumference proved to be a considerable problem at a time when the population was increasing in the
18th century (Ekkehard Schönherr, 2012). The city could not expand outwards and so the population
density continued to increase within the city walls.

In 1750, Barcelona was a city of contrasts and blending periods, a place where the concept of "Divergent
Spaces" was well illustrated by the clear distinctions between the enclosed old city and the expanding
areas beyond its walls.

In 1753 the army set up a new quarter called La Barceloneta in order to cope with this increase in
population. Even the Barceloneta could not provide a long-term solution to the growing population. In
just less than thirty years, Barcelona’s population increased from 53 to 95,000 inhabitants (Busquets,
2014). The living conditions were drastically decreasing, with poor hygiene and air quality, leading to
diseases.

The Raval district in the southwestern part of the city became the first priority for clearing new ground
(Santamaria-Varas & Diez-Martinez, 2016). Although there were a few religious houses and hospitals in
this area, its main function was agricultural. Private citizens bore the brunt of this expansion inside the
city. In 1775 the inner-city wall was demolished (Roberts, 2019). After this time, the Ramblas, previously
situated on the outside of this wall, was transformed.

Barcelona was about to undergo a major urban change by 1823, which paved the way for the city to
eventually grow into new areas. The contrasts between the interior and exterior of the walls in terms of
urban development and density were becoming even more pronounced, reflecting the relevance of the
"Divergent Spaces" concept.

Barcelona's population increased significantly within its medieval walls as a consequence of rural
migration and the early impacts of industrialization. A textile industrial city, with a busy port and high
population density, 856 inhabitants per hectare lived within a walled enclosure of around 2 sq. km
Pallarès-Barberà et al., 2020). Inside the walls with narrow streets, with limited air circulation, there was
no more land left. The city’s narrowest street was just 1.1m wide, while around 200 streets were less
than 3m (Pallarès-Barberà et al., 2020).

As a result, there was overcrowding and difficulties with the urban infrastructure to support the growing
population.

As the city could not expand outwards, solutions to find more space began to take place within. People
started to build either on top of the existing structures, on arches or even on the streets. Retreating
facades leaned over the streets until they nearly touched the houses on the other side of the street.
Therefore, the streets were getting overcrowded and lacked light, while the traffic was causing massive
congestion. The infrastructure didn’t follow a clear system, but rather emerging where needed, while the
morphology was a combination of perpendicular and radial grid. The old city of Barcelona was a labyrinth
of narrow, curving paths that mirrored the medieval street plan. Buildings were frequently built without a
uniform building code, resulting in a diverse architectural landscape that included Gothic, Romanesque,
and later Renaissance elements.

The lack of space inside the walls was emphasized also by the apparition of some buildings in the
northwest, making the slow transition between the enclosed Barcelona and the demolition of the wall in
1854. However, in 1823, the wall was still a border. One striking element that appeared is the contour of
a road that nowadays is called Passeig de Gracia, which goes through the city walls to the plain. This road
marked a key change into the urban fabric and shaped the divergent path from Cathedral to the buildings
up North. The road seemed to start really crammed, specific to the area inside the fortification, but
afterwards, it continuous as a wider avenue. Since the urban fabric is still not developed in this
timeframe, the road was not that defined yet.

A distinctive aspect was the function of one of the buildings in the northern areas, newly constructed,
which functions as a Cathedral. The road previously discussed is a straight line from the old Cathedral of
Barcelona, to this one, highlighting the topic of evolution of spaces divergent to the roman forum. The
placement of the cathedral here is adjacent to the old one, which marks the influence of the roman area
upon the expansion of Barcelona. By taking a closer look into the connection between these two spaces,
there is still a clear separation, marked by the wall, illustrating that even though the city started evolving
on the outside, the inside was still stagnating.

In summary, Barcelona’s evolution from the medieval city to 1823 is marked by divergent spaces, with
the Cathedral de Barcelona as a central anchor point. Originating in Barcino, the Roman grid and Forum
influenced expansions, including the creation of La Rambla and Passeig de Gracia. The city’s continuous
expansion inside the walls led to cramped conditions, losing the original concept of keeping people
united. The cathedral’s persistent influence and the placement of a new on in the north symbolize the
city’s journey of divergent spaces which remain connected to its origins.
REFERENCES

http://www.e-perimetron.org/Vol_7_2/Schonherr.pdf

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https://repositorio.uam.es/bitstream/handle/10486/13988/65468_comparing%20cities.pdf;jsessionid=3
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