Ensanche
{{Short description|Development areas in Spanish cities at the end of the 19th century}}
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File:Ensanche - eixample - Barcelona.jpg
{{lang|es-ES|Ensanche}} means "widening" in Spanish. It is used to name the development areas of Spanish cities around the end of the 19th century, when the demographic explosion and the Industrial Revolution prompted the tearing down of the old city wall and the construction of neighborhoods under grid plans. It is also found across much of Hispanic America for expansion of the cities beyond the traditional city walls.
Background
The programme of city extensions in Spain began simultaneously in 1860 with the plans for Barcelona by Ildefons Cerdà and Madrid by Carlos María de Castro,{{Cite journal |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00189030 |title=Evolving planning systems in Madrid, Rome, and Athens |journal=GeoJournal |year=1991 |volume=24 |page=294 |issue=3|doi=10.1007/BF00189030 |last1=Costa |first1=Frankj. |last2=Noble |first2=Alleng. |last3=Pendeleton |first3=Glenna |s2cid=154817646 |url-access=subscription }} influenced by Haussmann's transformation of Paris from 1852 (and, in turn, have been said to have influenced Haussmann's later projects). Those {{lang|es-ES|ensanches}} extended cities beyond their traditional limits by demolishing city walls, transforming riverbanks and subdividing the {{lang|es-ES|extramuros}} – rural land outside the city walls. {{lang|es-ES|Ensanches}} were generally based on principles articulated by Cerdà.{{Cite book |last=Cerdá |first=Ildefonso |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rRuncPoghsQC |title=Teoría general de la urbanización y aplicación de sus principios y doctrina a la reforma y ensanche de Barcelona |year=1867 |location=Madrid |language=es}} These included reserving significant open space by requiring mid-block open space and whole block parks. The height of buildings was set by reference to the width of the adjacent street. Many of these requirements were modified, and the building volumes increased, by later amendments beginning in 1864 (Madrid).{{Cite web |title=GREEN PLANNING EVOLUTION AND CURRENT FRAMEWORKIN MADRID ON THE 20TH CENTURY |url=http://tercud.ulusofona.pt/index.php/pt/documentos-on-line/category/6-2008?download=323:garcia-garciam-et-al-2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222152735/http://tercud.ulusofona.pt/index.php/pt/documentos-on-line/category/6-2008?download=323:garcia-garciam-et-al-2008 |archive-date=2014-02-22 |access-date=2014-02-18}}
It is specifically used for:
- The {{lang|ca|Eixample}} (Catalan for {{lang|es-ES|ensanche}}) of Barcelona, planned by Cerdà
- The {{lang|ca-valencia|Eixample}} of the city of Valencia.
- The {{lang|ca|Eixample}} in Palma, Mallorca.
- The {{lang|es-ES|Ensanche Este}} of Madrid under the Plan Castro by Carlos María de Castro enacted by Royal Decree in 1860.
- The Ensanche de Bilbao after the annexation of the former village of Abando.
Usage in Hispanic America
The term is widely use for the planned expansion of some cities across Hispanic America. Among them is the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic which used the term extensively as a prefix for expansion neighborhoods beyond its traditional old city.
References
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{{Expand Basque|Zabalgune (hirigintza)|date=April 2009}}