NERO THE FIRST TOWNPLANNER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 279, 21 August 1919, Page 4

NERO THE FIRST TOWNPLANNER

« BURNT ROME TOJ3UILD IT BETTER Nero, Emperor of Rome, whom wo Cearnt in our school histories fiddled while Rrino was burning, is, according to Mr. John Suiman, a somewhat maligned emperor. In a recent lecture on townplanning, the president of the TownPlanning Association acclaimed Nero as the first town-planner in history. Tho lecturer mentioned a story to the oft'ect that the great fire, apparently so callously regarded by the Roman Emperor, was due to Nero's desire to improve his city. This was apparently his cheap and expeditious method of making resumptions and clearing the ground for his citv improvements. For it is recorded that after tho fir« Nero passed building laws fixing tho (Limit of height of buildings, and regulating their heights according to the width of the streets in which they were built— a. provision tint Mr. Suiman wouM like to ssp adopted. Another early town-planner was Edv(i]v) T. who in'the devastated district' of Southern "Prancn built about fifty lew towns, n'ld wisely issued orders for four men to be chosen who knew something about the Inyiwr out of cities, Mr. SWir.fin ouotwl Edward' 5 orders for tho rhooMP? of those inrdiovnl wwb. nw noiisted out. that if a modern city wanted to enlist tho service of town-plnnnera it would advertise for them in almost the samo words.