After the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the end of the Middle Ages, new economic and political theories began to be generated worldwide based on the accumulation of capital and the conquest of new territories to exploit them economically: mercantilism.
Mercantilism prompted European nations to compete with each other for which of them accumulated greater wealth and conquered greater territories: this promoted maritime exploration, since all wanted to acquire new territories not previously explored.
This changed the way cities are because cities are usually built to accommodate highways and roads. Built in and around highways have changed the main structure of present-day cities.
