It'd be cool if towns were still this way.
In ancient China, towns were often arranged in specific patterns so that if seen from the air the whole community resembled an animal or a symbolic design. The sity of Tsuen-chen-fu was built in the shape of a carp. Wung-chun was laid out in the shape of a fish net. Other towns were arranged to resemble snakes, stars, sunbursts, and dragons.