This page was last updated 23.2.97. There are various principles for organizing the streets of a city.
Berlin is based on stars and rings, and American cities are usually rectangular grids.
Paris is based on diverging bundles. This means that the wrong coice of a lane can put you in the wrong part of town with little chance to make a turn because everything is one-way. Traffic in Paris is murderous too. It is said that the only way for a pedestrian to cross a street in Paris is to be completely oblivious of the fact that there may be cars, because while they won't give you a break they will do their best not to kill you. Or so I hope.