--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like the Roman town grid, the New York…" description: "\"Like the Roman town grid, the New York plan was laid down on largely empty land, a city designed in advance of being inhabited; if the Romans consulted..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/richard-sennett-27792_cities_like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-pl_1403943.jpg" --- # Like the Roman town grid, the New York plan was laid down… ![“Like the Roman town grid, the New York plan was laid down on largely empty land, a city designed in advance of being inhabited; if the Romans consulted the heavens for guidance in this effort, the city fathers of New York consulted the banks.” quote by Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/richard-sennett-27792_cities_like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-pl_1403943.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/richard-sennett-27792_cities_like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-pl_1403943.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/richard-sennett-27792_cities_like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-pl_1403943.jpg) > “Like the Roman town grid, the New York plan was laid down on largely empty land, a city designed in advance of being inhabited; if the Romans consulted the heavens for guidance in this effort, the city fathers of New York consulted the banks.” [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Urban design mirrors ancient planning, but modern cities prioritize financial interests over spiritual guidance. **In simple terms:** City planning follows profit, not tradition. Key Takeaway Balance economic goals with cultural values. Themes urban planning economics history Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - city development - policy making - community workshops Key Concepts public space financial incentives cultural heritage Questions to Reflect On - How can cities integrate cultural values? - What role should finance play in planning? A Different Perspective Economic focus can ignore social needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Guidance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guidance/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) ## Related quotes > [“When you live in New York or any big city, it is easy to fail at growing up. 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Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. 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I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Like the Roman town grid, the New York plan was laid down on largely empty land, a city designed in advance of being inhabited; if the Romans consulted the heavens for guidance in this effort, the city fathers of New York consulted the banks.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Sennett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-plan-was-laid-down-on-largely/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-plan-was-laid-down-on-largely/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/richard-sennett-27792_cities_like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-pl_1403943.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/richard-sennett-27792_cities_like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-pl_1403943.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/richard-sennett-27792_cities_like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-pl_1403943.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Like the Roman town grid, the New York plan was laid down on largely empty land, a city designed in advance…” — Richard Sennett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Richard Sennett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Like the Roman town grid, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-plan-was-laid-down-on-largely/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-plan-was-laid-down-on-largely/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```