Rome took the Greek grid and added infrastructure as an expression of power.

Free PDF Tip: Search for "Roman Urbanism: Beyond the Consumer City" by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (open-access on Cambridge Core) for detailed maps.

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Following the collapse of Rome, the centralized authority required to maintain the grid vanished. Western Europe entered the era of the "Organic City."

| Feature | Pre-Industrial Logic | |--------|----------------------| | Walking city | 20–30 min radius from center (~2–3 km) | | Walls & gates | Defense, taxation, control of goods | | Mixed use | Homes above shops; workshops near homes | | Organic growth | Plots subdivided over generations, creating irregular street patterns | | Landmark dominance | Church, palace, or temple as vertical anchor |