All roads lead to Rome Some systems used every day were designed a long time ago yet still provide remarkable solutions. From the first major road (constructed in the third century BC, 200 km long between Rome and Napoli), the Roman road arterial network was the lifeblood of the empire. Much of this network is still visible and actively used. What makes the Roman road system so sustainable? First, it was designed with one purpose in mind: with a maximum travel speed between positions of 30 km a day, the idea was to follow a straight line. This required not only precise land surveys to define the most direct route, but also bold decisions in road building requiring building bridges, digging tunnels, climbing up and down steep hills or mountains. A second aspect was the engineering of durable and sustainable solutions. From trench digging with small retaining walls on the side of the road to the various foundation and surface stone layers, along with efficient water drainage, the roads were built to last with the minimum need for intervention. A third characteristic was a relevant and efficient documentation: stone pillars gave user-friendly standardised information about nearby towns and stopping places, allowing easy adoption even in unfamiliar lands. Security was also reinforced to encourage travellers to confidently use the road system. The system was deployable and up-scalable as seen through its extension around the Mediterranean Sea, extending from Britain to the Tigris-Euphrates and from the Danube to Spain and northern Africa. Finally, this solution was profitable. Tolls were collected on some sections of the road system while collaboration grew along the roads to provide rest stops and food for travellers and horses. This inspirational development of a sustainable solution is an example of the past positively shaping the present.
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