In the wake of the fire , he made a new urban development plan . Houses after the fire were spaced out , built in brick , and faced by porticos on wide roads . Nero also built a new palace complex known as the Domus Aurea in an area cleared by the fire . This included lush artificial landscapes and a 30 @-@ meter @-@ tall statue of himself , the Colossus of Nero . The size of this complex is debated ( from 100 to 300 acres ) . To find the necessary funds for the reconstruction , tributes were imposed on the provinces of the empire .