Ildefons Cerdà, from Eixample to be a world reference

BarcelonaThe engineer, urban planner, and politician Ildefons Cerdà (Centelles, 1815 - Las Caldas de Besaya, Cantabria, 1876), the architect of the Eixample district, is considered the father of modern urban planning. His legacy remains relevant today when proposing solutions to the major challenges of the modern world, as will be evident in the activities of the Ildefons Cerdà Year, which was presented this Monday at the headquarters of the College of Civil Engineers. "The first idea that stands out about Cerdà is his vision for the future. He was able to envision the city of Barcelona not as it was, but as it should be, and that it was necessary to imagine a completely new urban model," states Pere Calvet, the dean of the College of Civil Engineers. "The second idea is the city at the service of its people," he adds. "Cerdà didn't just design streets and blocks; he studied the living conditions of the population, the lack of ventilation, the density, public health. His project sought a healthier and fairer city."

And a third idea is related to infrastructure. "Cerdà understood that the modern city can only function if it is well connected. And he did all this during a time of global change, in the second half of the 19th century, a time of accelerated industrialization, great social transformations, and also strong social mobilization. Cerdà understood this historical moment and had the imagination to create a city capable of creating a city."

Cerdà's legacy in the information society

The Ildefons Cerdà Year program will include several exhibitions, among them one based on the analysis of ten leading cities in contemporary urban planning, including Barcelona, ​​through the lens of Cerdà's ideas (at the COAC, from July 23 to October 15). There will also be another contemporary work by David Casals, in collaboration with Jordi Díez, which will explore Cerdà's legacy as interpreted through photography and the visual arts. This exhibition will be on display in Centelles, Barcelona, ​​and Madrid. In addition, the program includes the 36th edition of the Cerdà Awards at the Palau de la Música and an institutional tribute at the Spanish Congress of Deputies. In the academic sphere, the College of Civil Engineers will host a series of conferences addressing issues such as mobility, housing, urban health, and the relationship between city and territory. The first edition of an annual symposium on Ildefons Cerdà will also be held at the Palau Comtal in Centelles. Among the lectures at this symposium will be one on Cerdà and Fabià Estapé (author of Life and work of Ildefons Cerdà), and another about his daughter, Clotilde Cerdà. "We too are living through a time of great transformations and a certain political, geological, technological, and environmental instability. And in times like these, recovering figures like Cerdà is especially useful, in the dual role of theorist and practitioner with which the architect Solà-Morales defined him, who said that the General theory of urbanization "It places Cerdà among the great thinkers of urban planning and city theorists, ahead of the English, Germans, and French," explains Calvet. "Cerdà is the most important social scientist of the 19th century because he had a holistic vision. In the 20th century we specialized, but now we are returning to holistic perspectives," emphasizes Francesc Magrinyà, professor of urban planning and author of the book Cerdà's Theory. The urban and industrial revolution, published by the UPC. “Cerdà has some very simple principles: the origin of urbanization is housing. Now we are discovering that housing is a major problem, because for 30 or 40 years we have talked about public space and amenities but we have forgotten about housing,” says Magrinyà. “If housing hasn’t been properly addressed, think about the grouping of people with services and amenities.” Another academic activity will be the Cerdà Seminar at the CCCB (November 16 and 17). This meeting will bring together experts and professionals from different disciplines to reflect on the role of cities in addressing issues such as climate change, the energy transition, and digitalization. Furthermore, the commemoration will also include outreach activities such as a podcast with a dozen episodes dedicated to his thinking and its current relevance. The Cerdà Year is promoted by the College of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports Authority, Barcelona City Council, the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Centelles City Council and the College of Architects of Catalonia.