superblock

[soo-per-blok]

noun

1. an area of city land larger than the usual block, treated according to a unified plan and generally closed to vehicular through traffic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of superblock¹

First recorded in 1925–30; super- + block

Example Sentences

If you can’t picture it, Farley is that Beaux-Arts behemoth with the imperial staircase and Corinthian columns, occupying the entirety of the superblock between Eighth and Ninth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets.

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Sílvia Casorrán, 41, has lived in the former industrial barrio of Poblenou all her life and lives in what became the city’s first superblock in 2016.

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Now there is almost none, and Casorrán says being a superblock has transformed the barrio.

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The superblock scheme groups together nine city blocks and closes them to through traffic with plant pots and benches, introduces cycle lanes, play areas and green spaces, and eliminates most parking spaces.

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In the two years since the second superblock was inaugurated in the Sant Antoni barrio, traffic has fallen by 80% and NO2 pollution by 33%.

Read more on The Guardian