ABSTRACT
One of the first distinguishing marks of a community is that the members co-operate in establishing guidelines for their activities, so as to balance the rights and responsibilities of individuals with those of the community as a whole. The balance that is arrived at may depend initially on the relative power and wealth of the parties, resulting in the emergence of any one of a variety of political systems. In any of these, whether tyrannical or as democratic as it is possible to devise, personal interests inevitably have to be sublimated to the common good. Among the primary concerns of any state which are likely to have an impact on the buildings permitted, will be the following:
The layout of a settlement has often been determined by defensive considerations – in particular by the need for a surrounding protective structure, or by a convoluted street layout which is easier to defend than to attack.
