Act 2: ExtensionIn 1800s, the compact city was busting at its seams with hundreds of thousands of residents packed into the old city at an overall density of 856 inhabitants per hectare—that's the equivalent of 220,000 people per square mile. (In comparison, Manhattan's current density is 66,940 people per square mile.) Living conditions were crowded and dimly-lit. Poor sanitation resulted in epidemics. In 1854, Queen Isabella II decreed that the old walls be torn down to allow for rapid expansion.

Here's a present-day view of the area. Photo via Flickr by Roberta R. Photo 3 of 10 in A Five-Act History of Urbanism in Barcelona by Diana Budds

A Five-Act History of Urbanism in Barcelona

3 of 10

Act 2: ExtensionIn 1800s, the compact city was busting at its seams with hundreds of thousands of residents packed into the old city at an overall density of 856 inhabitants per hectare—that's the equivalent of 220,000 people per square mile. (In comparison, Manhattan's current density is 66,940 people per square mile.) Living conditions were crowded and dimly-lit. Poor sanitation resulted in epidemics. In 1854, Queen Isabella II decreed that the old walls be torn down to allow for rapid expansion.

Here's a present-day view of the area. Photo via Flickr by Roberta R.