Strict ordinances regulated house construction. A large area of the city, the Jordaan (from jardin), was reserved for low building, industry, craftsmen, and emigrants. On the main canals, the small lots were calculated in such a way as to leave considerable space for gardens between two houses. The building ordinances still in force today for the expensive sites on the three canals go back to 1612 and 1663. The plans were carried out by the city architect—the person in the city council responsible for overseeing building—and by the president of the council. They were entirely the concern of the city administration. It should be noted that there was a city architect, Daniel Stalpaert (1615-76), who was involved all his working life in administering the plans. In contrast to Venice, these plans were predicated on the fact that only wealthy citizens were to have the sites on the canals, while the lower classes, Jewish emigrants from Spain and Portugal, and later, the French Huguenots were allocated sites on the lower ground in the Jordaan. The elegant form of architecture on the canals was also imposed on large areas of the old city.