The Commissioners' Plan of 1811, drawn up by a New York State commission and surveyed by John Randel Jr, imposed a uniform rectilinear grid over almost the whole of then-undeveloped Manhattan north of the existing city. The plan laid out 12 numbered north-south avenues and around 155 east-west cross streets, largely ignoring topography and providing relatively little public open space. It was conceived to facilitate the orderly survey, sale and development of land. The grid was extended block by block as the city grew uptown over the following decades.
It stands as the largest single act of speculative grid planning, treating urban land as a uniform, easily traded commodity. The Manhattan grid became an enduring emblem of the commercial, rationalised American city and decisively shaped New York's development and real-estate market.