When human beings first came to dwell together in the Early Neolithic times, their settlements had no recognizable order, the dwelling of each family was for individual convenience.

One view was that the cities of ancient civilization were unplanned—their patterns arose as a result of spontaneous expression of the culture in which they arose. But others have pointed out that conscious designing was present in the ancient cities. Babylon and Kahun were planned cities of the 5th century BC. The cities of the Indus valley civilization (see lecture 5) were also well-planned.

of these cities were constructed in the rectangular form similar to the modern gridiron pattern. A few were laid out in fan-shaped arteries. It is in the Roman Empire that we have more planned cities. The Romans often leveled uneven land to fit their plans but they also selected appropriate sites to which they fitted their plans. They made drainage and water their primary concern.