Urban Decay

Urban Decay

By Jordan Peel

       Urban decay, the decay of a city where buildings and roads are in despair,was one factor to the fall of the Roman Empire. Most Romans lived in housing apartments with six or more stories. Some areas were overpopulated and the buildings were large and unhealthy. The people had to adapt to the buildings in order to survive because they were in bad condition. 

       The apartments the people lived in had different prices. The cost of first floor apartments was $400. The cost of upper story apartments was only $40 because of their lack of safety. Anyone that could not pay would be forced out onto the crime infested streets. The buildings were dangerous because of overpopulation so living there could be life threatening. But, living on the streets could be even worse. Rome fell because of many factors, but urban decay was one large enough to be considered one of ten major reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire.