Abstract:Urban cartography enables us to trace the historical and spatial evolution of human settlements, but it also furnishes us with the opportunity to obtain and analyse urban data from the perspective of the present day. Urban plans drafted for the reform and expansion of a city can provide us with valuable urban information about the planned use of new public space. In Western Europe, the historical cartography of Barcelona (Spain) maps the city’s mid-nineteenth century urban expansion project designed to fulfil … Show more
“…The urban expansion that occurred in the Eixample, centred on closed housing blocks, separated by streets 15 to 20 m wide, with population densities greater than 250 inhabitants/ha and with levels of income close to the city average, appears to provide the highest density and diversity of activities, especially when compared to the capacity afforded by other regular and irregular morphologies. Some of the increase in the diversity of the Eixample district today may be attributable to modifications to Cerdà's original project, which has undergone changes, as city ordinances to close off the blocks were approved [76,84]. Originally, the plan allowed a densification of activities in the block's ground floors which, at the time, made the Eixample the district with the highest number of industrial activities.…”
Section: Reasons For Highest Levels Of Urban Diversitymentioning
Urban complexity can be measured by the numerical and spatial diversity of activities in a territory. Just as biodiversity can be measured in a natural ecosystem, diversity indices can be applied to urban settings. Urban diversity presents higher values in areas where there is a greater number of (economic, institutional, and social) activities with a high degree of differentiation between them. This study seeks to investigate the potential of applying an urban diversity index in a specific case study: namely, the city of Barcelona (Spain), known for the orthogonal grid plan of its Eixample district. Results show that the municipal territory of Barcelona as a whole is characterized by highly differentiated spaces according to their urban diversity values. Specifically, it is the Eixample district that presents the highest values of urban diversity, reflecting the densification of its morphology and its urban commercial policies.
“…The urban expansion that occurred in the Eixample, centred on closed housing blocks, separated by streets 15 to 20 m wide, with population densities greater than 250 inhabitants/ha and with levels of income close to the city average, appears to provide the highest density and diversity of activities, especially when compared to the capacity afforded by other regular and irregular morphologies. Some of the increase in the diversity of the Eixample district today may be attributable to modifications to Cerdà's original project, which has undergone changes, as city ordinances to close off the blocks were approved [76,84]. Originally, the plan allowed a densification of activities in the block's ground floors which, at the time, made the Eixample the district with the highest number of industrial activities.…”
Section: Reasons For Highest Levels Of Urban Diversitymentioning
Urban complexity can be measured by the numerical and spatial diversity of activities in a territory. Just as biodiversity can be measured in a natural ecosystem, diversity indices can be applied to urban settings. Urban diversity presents higher values in areas where there is a greater number of (economic, institutional, and social) activities with a high degree of differentiation between them. This study seeks to investigate the potential of applying an urban diversity index in a specific case study: namely, the city of Barcelona (Spain), known for the orthogonal grid plan of its Eixample district. Results show that the municipal territory of Barcelona as a whole is characterized by highly differentiated spaces according to their urban diversity values. Specifically, it is the Eixample district that presents the highest values of urban diversity, reflecting the densification of its morphology and its urban commercial policies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.