The Generalitat, the COAC, and the UPC are showcasing in Barcelona the 10 most influential ideal city projects of modern urbanism, including Ildefons Cerdà's Eixample. The free exhibition will be open until October 18 at the COAC headquarters.
The Eixample of Barcelona, designed by Ildefons Cerdà in 1859, is one of the ten most influential urban projects in history, according to the exhibition 'Modèliques, ciutats i utopies 1859-1958', which opened this Thursday at the headquarters of the Col·legi Oficial d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) in Barcelona. The exhibition, promoted by the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of the Generalitat, the COAC, and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), brings together for the first time the theoretical and practical models that have shaped modern urbanism.
The exhibition coincides with the Year of Cerdà and Barcelona's World Capital of Architecture designation, and offers a journey through a hundred years of urban thought through ten projects selected by curators Carles Crosas, Fernando Marzá, and Beth Tuà. The exhibition includes replicas of original documents, current photographs, and scale models, aiming to bring the public closer to the utopias that have inspired the construction of real cities.
Among the projects on display are Arturo Soria y Mata's Ciudad Lineal (Madrid, 1894), Ebenezer Howard's Garden City (Letchworth, UK, 1898), and Tony Garnier's Cité Industrièlle (Lyon, France, 1904). Also featured are Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett's City Beautiful (Chicago, USA, 1909), Petrus Berlage's Amsterdam Zuid (Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1915), and Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City (USA, 1934).
Completing the selection are Chandigarh by Le Corbusier (India, 1951); Brasília by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer (Brazil, 1957); and La Ville Spatiale by Yona Friedman (1958). The exhibition is based on the theoretical foundations of works such as 'Utopías y realidades' by Françoise Choay (1965) and 'Las ciudades del mañana' by Peter Hall (1987), which have helped identify the most significant episodes of modern urbanism.
Cerdà's Eixample, presented under the heading 'Èxit pràctic d'un projecte teòric' (Manuel de Solà-Morales, 1985), is the only Spanish project on the list and one of the few that was realised as conceived. Its grid design with chamfers and its hygienist and functional vision make it an international reference. The organisers highlight that the exhibition allows for an understanding of how urban utopias have influenced the planning of current cities.
The exhibition can be visited for free at the COAC headquarters in Plaça Nova, Barcelona, from Monday to Friday between 10 AM and 2 PM and 4 PM to 7 PM, until October 18. For residents of the province of Barcelona, the exhibition offers a unique opportunity to learn about the origins of urbanism that defines their immediate environment, especially the Eixample, which remains a model of a compact and mixed city.
The curators have emphasised the importance of showcasing these projects as a reflection on the future of cities. In a context of climate and social crisis, the ideas of Cerdà, Howard, or Le Corbusier gain new relevance. The exhibition invites us to ask what kind of city we want for the 21st century, drawing from the lessons of the past.
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