Crediting Spanish architectural forethought

Like many burgeoning European cities during the Industrial Revolution, Barcelona’s population was growing exponentially in the early 19th century. The Catalonian capital’s walls were built by the Romans, and sanitation and overcrowding were major problems within the ancient city.

The city needed to find a way to expand outside the cramped walls, and it would have to be a design that could expand with the turbulent times.

“In the 1800s, life was changing,” Barcelona native Marius Cucurny said. “They came up with a competition to design Barcelona with the times.”

Ildefons Cerdà ‘s design won in 1859, and his hand can still be seen in modern Barcelona — now the second largest city in Spain.

Cucurny, a Spanish and environmental science teacher at Golden West College, is working with the Institut D’Estudis Territorials Generalitat de Catalunya to bring its traveling Cerdà exhibition to Huntington Beach.

Cerdà ‘s design, known as Eixample in Catalan, took things like open air, natural lighting and privacy into consideration. Each city block was designed with open air spaces in the middle to provide greenery and space.

He was even mindful of scientific advances.

Streets that were wide enough to accommodate the spread of cars and utility lines were built under the sidewalk to avoid shutting down streets for repairs.

“I believe it’s about time to give [Cerdà ] some credit for this beautiful thing,” Cucurny said, and he hopes to do just that.

Usually reserved as a showcase for local art, the Windows Gallery at the Central Library will play host to a history exhibition instead.

Diana LoSchiavo, president of the Huntington Beach Art League, which runs the gallery, said the league is trying to diversify its exhibitions.

“We thought it would be a wonderful outreach kind of thing to reach beyond the artists themselves and into the community at large,” LoSchiavo said.

There will be an opening reception and lecture that will feature Spanish food and drinks.

“We try to get a lot of different cultural things in there and to keep it current,” LoSchiavo said.

What: Traveling exhibition of Ildefons CerdÃ

When: Opening reception and lecture by Nico Calavita from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The exhibition runs through April 30.

Where: Windows Gallery, Huntington Beach Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave.

Cost: Free

Information: (714) 842-4481