Grid plan facts for kids
A grid plan is a way of designing a city or town. It's like drawing a checkerboard pattern for streets. This idea first came from ancient Greece.
In a grid plan, streets cross each other at right angles. This means they form perfect squares or rectangles, just like a grid. In ancient Rome, they used a similar method for measuring land. They called it a centuriation.
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What is a Grid Plan?
A grid plan is a very old and simple way to lay out a city. Imagine drawing straight lines across a map, both up-and-down and side-to-side. Where these lines cross, you get intersections. This creates many square or rectangular blocks.
This type of layout makes it easy to find your way around. It also helps with dividing land into plots for buildings. Many famous cities around the world use a grid plan.
History of Grid Plans
The idea of grid plans started a very long time ago. Ancient civilizations, like the Greeks, used them to build new cities. They found it was an organized way to expand.
Later, the Romans also used grid plans for their military camps and new towns. They were very good at planning. Their "centuriation" system helped them divide farmland.
Why Use a Grid Plan?
Grid plans offer several benefits. They make it simple to navigate a city. It's easy to give directions using street numbers or block numbers.
This layout also helps with traffic flow. Cars can move easily through the straight streets. It also makes it easier to add new buildings or services.
However, grid plans can sometimes be boring. They might not fit well with natural landscapes. Some cities combine grid plans with other designs.
Examples of Grid Plans
Many cities around the world show grid patterns. For instance, parts of Barcelona in Spain have a clear grid. Adelaide in Australia is another good example.
Even some modern planned communities use grids. Milton Keynes in England uses a grid of main roads. This helps organize different areas of the city.
Sometimes, adding new streets to an old grid can be tricky. This can lead to unusual street names. But overall, grid plans help cities grow in an orderly way.
See also
In Spanish: Plan hipodámico para niños
Images for kids
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A simple grid plan from 1908 of Palaio Faliro.
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The city of Adelaide, South Australia was laid out in a grid, surrounded by gardens and parks.
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The grid plan of Miletus in the Classical period
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Bastide schema in Gascony
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The map of St. Petersburg (1717). The grid of 'lines' and 'prospekts' is seen across the whole rectangular Vasilyevsky Island, while actually only the eastern part was built
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A one km2 sector in Milton Keynes framed by major roads in a grid configuration. The road network within the sector uses cul-de-sac streets complemented by bike and foot paths which connect the entire sector and beyond.
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In a numbered grid system, adding an extra street can cause confusion
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Surveyor's plan of Salt Lake City, circa 1870s - an example of a typical, uniform, square-grid street network
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A 2×2 km square segment of the street network of Paris that often, and erroneously, is characterized as a grid. It shows the highly irregular city blocks and the range of street orientations, both common attributes of many historic cities
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Schematic plan of Hoddle's allotments for the village of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, March 1837
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Grid street plan Comparison in the Philippines
