Plaça del Nord contains a large, central playground with a base of sand. It is surrounded by terrace restaurants, and while a generally busy plaza is frequented mostly by locals. It was urbanized by Antoni Rovira i Trias, the architect that technically won the Eixample competition, beating Ildefons Cerdà, whose plan was ultimately approved. During the Spanish Civil War, it was Plaça de Joan Fusté, in memorial to a Catalan who died in the early days of the conflict.