Town plans for alignments. Barcelona in the European context, 18th-19th centuries

Abstract

Building licenses with the alignment scheme included and alignment plans of streets and of entire cities were implemented in France between 1750 and 1808, and they spread in the neighboring countries in 19th century. A same procedure of transferring plans to the field establishes continuity between street maps and city maps. Street plans were the favored choice in Barcelona. I have used municipal documents to study them. City reform plans are exclusive of France until 1850. I have used French urban monographs based on documentation that equal to the sources available in Barcelona. Meanwhile, Spanish and Italian literatures are more unspecified. In comparing the efficacy of this kind of urban plan, the main conclusion is that the alignment city maps failed everywhere, whereas the street maps were at least possible and a point of departure when granting licensees.

Keywords: building license, street alignment plan, town alignment plan, urban reform.