barcelona :: square grid

the eixample autonomously fills the plain between the old towns

The Eixample: a grid of chamfered square blocks, uniform in all orientations (isotropic). Each block is geometrically the same. 

The streets are hierarchical, so the grand avenues are wider, incorporating a strip for pedestrians and bikes on either side, a center lane for through traffic, and an outer lane on either side for local traffic. As a jogger and a biker, I am thankful these grand avenues exist. If no available park, they are the next best way of running or biking almost continuously without hindrance. The treelined strips are really pleasant even in winter. In the hot mediterranean summer, they provide a shaded path.

Gran Via provides tree lined strips for running, biking, walking      

The only time the blocks are different are when the extra width of the grand avenues takes away some of the block, or when a diagonal cuts through, creating odd-shaped blocks. This is enough to break the monotony, but the prevailing continuity of the grid is one of its main strengths.