Rome and Richmond: A Case Study in Topographic Determinism

Abstract

Although separated by 2,500 years chronologically and more than 4,000 miles geographically, Ancient Rome (Italy) and Richmond (Virginia) illustrate the similarities of urban settlement, growth, and form when comparable topographic forces are at work. These in turn reflect geologic and geographic characteristics of the immediate area and adjacent region. Of course, the influences of physical environment vary with the particular culture and socio-economic situation. To paraphrase the urban historian, Pierre Lavedan, Rome and Richmond exemplify what can be called “la loi de la persistance et la similarité des effets de la topographie.”