The Life of Cato: Spatial Organization and Urbanization in Rome

As a city planner my father always had to take close notes on the laws of the land and if their were no laws in place, he would take consideration and suggestion from the locals. Sometimes when an order is given to start a development, my father tells me that they send him grids on tablets with exact location, measurements, and a list of materials to be used. This development was probably sent out by a political leader and will either be used for patrician residence or some sort of city council building. Most times when my father is working on buildings there is a verbal plan and a list of materials, but most of his building is done organically. Now, he still has to meet spatial and development requirements, but my father can make the dimensions and measurement of the building exactly how he thinks fits best. If there are no laws in place of the town, my father will ask the locals about how they want the new building to be and my father will draw a template of what it could be based on those suggestions. Spatial requirements in major cities require buildings to be next to each other, but not connected or stacked on one another, meaning that one wall cannot separate two residences. In a plebeian city this is very common and my father works on multi-family complexes regularly, but the patricians see this as a safety hazard and more obviously see it as a hindrance to their living space. With these things considered, my father has always taught me to go by the rules and if a template with specific instructions is given, then I am to follow them to a tee to avoid strict punishment. He also taught me from a young age that not every project is worth doing. For example my father gets asked to build slave living quarters and even though they are paying him, he refuses every time due to the inhumane sizes and materials used in the room. Another example would be the development of permanent and temporary buildings. Oftentimes temporary buildings are used for military, or sick people so it is important that they get built, but the time and effort that is needed to complete the project is not worth it. Even though these are buildings that have to be built, my father will often pass the order to another construction company if he deems that it is not worth his and or his employees time.