The legacy of Roman and Greek urban planning in the cities of today

Abstract

The cities of the Roman Empire were characterized in particular by their chequerboard plans. Studying the plans of the same cities today, the Roman streets are only rarely recognizable. By systematic comparison of archaeological plans with those of today, and using satellite imagery as a tool, it is possible to map the degree of persistence of the Roman or Greek plan. The level of survival of the ancient plans is variable: it is high for example in northern Italy and around Naples, but generally low elsewhere, as in England and Egypt. But the process of loss and survival can be counter-intuitive.