anecdotal historical observations (please do not ask me to cite sources here): roman frontier outposts during the height of the empire were known for being fastidiously gridded and easy to traverse. some roman emperors were famous for their obsessive attention to detail around their colonial exploits, sometimes assisting directly in the construction or working with the roman equivalents of "public architects" to create cities in their ideal image.
this was justified, in part, due to the fact that public infrastructure in the frontiers was effectively part of the military spending of the roman empire. the result of this is that many of those cities have (more or less) the same overall road designs even today.
however, at the same time and continuing well into the medieval period, the capitol city of Rome itself was known as labyrinthine and dangerous at night. couriers had to train to know their way around and it was not uncommon for fires, violence, or simply "getting lost" to happen. it was a large, dense, and confusing metropolitan area outside of its major landmarks.
Within the heart of the empire, there was comparatively little to no investment from the broadly military-minded roman government.
that was the takeaway right the post was too long i didn't read it
