Barcelona

 **Why is Barcelona considered one of the most successful cities in urban planning innovation? ** Barcelona is now widely recognised as one of the most successful cities in the world, internationally acclaimed for its innovative urban planning. It has survived the economic, environmental and social changes of the last decades through focusing upon the provision of knowledge-based and information services to place itself in the forefront of a new urban wave, in which city planning provides high-quality opportunities for people to live and work. In short, Barcelona has been transformed into a city that provides a highly impressive urban environment to all who visit it.

**How's the city of Barcelona administrative divided? How many districts does it have? What are their names? ** Barcelona is governed by a city council formed by 41 city councilors, elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage. Barcelona is divided by ten districts, and each one has different neighborhoods, these districts are: Sants-Montjuïc, Les Corts, Gràcia, Ciutat Vella, Sant Martí, Eixample, Sarrià Sant Gervasi, Horta Guinardó, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu.

**The Eixample ** The Eixample is One of districts more important because of the changes that have taken over time, this Eixample, refers to the growth of a city by a land devoted to new buildings on the outskirts of a town; the Eixample in Barcelona is characterized by long straight streets, a strict grid pattern crossed by wide avenues and square blocks with chamfered corners.

**Who designed this district? ** Ildefons Cerdà. **How is this district divided into? ** The district is often divided for practical purposes in two: Esquerra de l'Eixample and Dreta de l'Eixample (left and right sides of Eixample, respectively). Traditionally and officially it is divided into five neighbourhoods.

**What are the main characteristics of the expansion? ** The area Eixample was designed for both the upper and the lower class of the population of Barcelona. On the drawing table Cerdà designed octagonal blocks. The whole district should be crossed by one diagonal road. The blocks would not be higher then 4 floors, between the houses there should be space for parks and trees. The original idea was to make most of the streets traffic free.

**What advantages did it bring to the city? ** The Eixample in Barcelona permited the improved to many aspects that manage the maintenance of the quality of life of the people of the city, the space was used in a better way, creating pleasant walks, wide avenues to mobilize better the traffic.