Why Does Barcelona Look Like a Giant Waffle? #engineering #construction #shorts

Why does Barcelona look like a giant waffle from above? 🇪🇸 Those strange blocks and sliced-off corners were not designed for appearance. In the 1850s, Barcelona was overcrowded behind medieval walls, facing terrible living conditions and deadly cholera outbreaks. Engineer Ildefons Cerdà proposed the Eixample—a revolutionary grid designed around wider streets, better movement, sunlight, fresh air, and open courtyards. But developers later filled many of those courtyards and made the blocks far denser than Cerdà intended. More than 160 years later, Barcelona is once again transforming some of those famous corners into greener, car-free public spaces. In this Short, discover the engineering story behind Barcelona’s iconic grid, its 113-meter blocks, chamfered corners, and the forgotten urban vision that is now returning. If you love incredible engineering, architecture, and the hidden stories behind the world around us, subscribe to The Engineering Codex. New engineering stories are coming—don’t miss the next one! #Barcelona #Eixample #UrbanEngineering #CityPlanning #Engineering #Architecture #UrbanPlanning #CivilEngineering #EngineeringHistory #construction #building #history #shorts