The two urban spatial forms analyzed from a cosmological point of view are the circular and the orthogonal. The circular symbolism of the Near Eastern cities is considered first followed by the Plato's theoretical city of Atlantis and then the ideal cities of the Renaissance architects. Circular cities of the 19th century, those of the Utopian Socialists, had in contrast an ideological basis. In addition to the practical basis for the orthogonal layout conceptual influences are evident in the grid cities of the ancient Greeks, in the Spanish Laws of the Indies, and those cities designed later to express the idea of order.