I think the practical size of governed areas depends on the speed of travel/ communications. Like if somewhere is 2 days ride from the decision makers, that’s 4 days round trip, plus thinking time. If something urgent happens it’s probably better there’s a governor in place with delegated decision-making powers.
With Carte Blanche to do whatever they wanted I wonder why the squares could not have been bigger? Less governments to deal with?
I think the practical size of governed areas depends on the speed of travel/ communications. Like if somewhere is 2 days ride from the decision makers, that’s 4 days round trip, plus thinking time. If something urgent happens it’s probably better there’s a governor in place with delegated decision-making powers.
That’s it. Départements were designed so everybody could get to the préfecture and back home in one day’s ride.
It would have been better if they had used hexagons.
They used rivers and mountains, as normal people do ;)
That is a sound argument.
I see Paris has a square so maybe the Revolutionaires didn’t want to govern an area larger than the Paris area. History is fascinating.