Resetting the Urban Network: 117–2012

Do fixed geographic features such as coastlines and rivers determine town locations, or can historical events trap towns in unfavourable locations for centuries? We examine the effects on town locations of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, which temporarily ended urbanisation in Britain, but not in France. As urbanisation recovered, medieval towns were more often found in Roman‐era town locations in France than in Britain. The resetting of Britain's urban network gave it better access to natural navigable waterways, which mattered for town growth from 1200 to 1800. We conclude that history trapped many French towns in suboptimal locations.