Step by Step to Low Density Residential

[MrFingers 0]

This is my first attempt at a tutorial, infact the things I'm showing you here I only discovered myself a couple days ago.  While I am still getting better at it, there really was a click-moment when I realised how to do this, so I think I'm already at a point where I can pass on what I learned to others.  I apologise for the random picture formats, I used shutterfly.com and they decided to do what they please with the pictures I uploaded.

The following is a tutorial in how to create realistic suburbs of low density residential.  The main idea is to remain space efficient and functional, while incorporating a tree-like road network.  Trees are a very good way of describing this.  Avenues are trunks, roads are branches, streets are twigs, and zoning is the leaves.  Highways are region scale, not city scale, so I'm not including them here.

Your highway should be from where your people live, directing itself into the main downtown of your region, ie from residence to jobs.  You really shouldnt worry at all about the specifics of your city layout when you build your highway, it should just trace land formations (mountians and water) and move through the middle of areas people will live as it winds away from your region's center.

Avenues.  These are major traffic arteries.  They should come right off the highway and then start to meander through where your residential areas will be.  When you place your avenue, don't try to count squares or think in too much detail about where you are going to build your road network around it,  just place it right through the middle of the area you are developing.  The picture below illustrates this, you can also see I have threaded an EL rail through it.  I did much the same with the EL rail as I did with the avenue, only taking a different route and making it more dense, hence it splits.

Now forget the Avenues and EL rail.  Don't work from the avenues, that is how you get inefficient space usage.  This is probably the most important point I'm making here; once you have put in the tree trunks, work backwards from the twigs and leaves.

In this next picture you can see I've zoomed in all the way to the furthest corner.  At this point you have to decide on your lot sizes, I have chosen 1x2.  My aim now is to capture as many potential 1x2 lots with streets, you can see how I have done that below.  I have highlighted the areas I'm giving road access to in red.

Now I continue like this.  My two definitive boundaries are the highway and the railroad, so I first make sure that I am capturing the lots along them before I move inside where I have total freedom.

Next I grow my second twig.  There is a lot next to the railroad I've highlighted that I needed to capture because it was in the corner and therefore inaccessable to the first twig.  I could have just branched off towards the railroad with the first twig to get that one, but streets with corners that are outside of junctions look more attractive and natural.  I've also highlighted the lot inside the corner of the highway that I took.  I have left space there because that is where I think I want my first branch (road) to be.  There was no specific reason to this, just random.  The only factors to deciding where your branches should be is how many leaves are dependent on it and that's about it.

In the follwing picture I have decided to hook my EL railway up into the corner where my first road is.  Remember that everything you place is fluid and can be moved at your convenience.

Now I have filled the corner between the EL railway and the highway, and fleshed everything out with some leaves.  Usually I leave out adding the zones for a while longer, but it is easier to continue with them in because then you can see where you have gotten up to.

You can see I have left open spaces in the middle, this was done because it is a nice spot to put some parks or light commericial in later as I see fit.

Next I have done the second branch completely.  I did not do this step by step because the principle is exactly the same.  Just look at how the streets are laid and and you can see how I did it.  Remember, working from the outside (constraining factors first) inwards to where you have room to do whatever you want.

I have left a gap of 1 tile from the avenue.  This is entirely your choice, but I do it because I don't want any lots facing the avenue and also so I can line trees along it or commercial.  Trees are great because they get rid of the pollution, if you look across the rail tracks you can see I've done that over there

And finally my third branch.  Exactly the same method.

I hope some of you found this useful.  I know I would have 1 week ago, that is why I wrote this up for you.  Just remember, lay the avenue arteries through the middle of where people will live, and then work from the outside in!

[RushHourFreak 1]

I think it is useful, but a suggestion, you should connect you suburban areas with the street ending, therwise the commute time with or without EL rail, will be longer Keep on, and ask for a tutorial space where you can post that to dirk or Stomnibus, i don't really know oh and download NAM,they will be more realistic, and with your imagination, the suburbs will be awesome try, adn show us

[jacqulina 162]

yes it is usefull thanks

[MrFingers 0]

Hey guys, thanks for your comments!

rushhourfreak, what did you mean by "you should connect you suburban areas with the street ending"? And I have NAM btw

[Dark_Jedi06 13]

This is just my two cents, but perhaps you could put some space between every 2 or 3 tiles of zoning and fill it with trees or some sort of park. There are some nice trails on the STEX that can also be great to divide each row of housing. Also, you may want to include a picture that shows some development.

Good job.

[Mystrelia 57]

I think I understand what RushHourFreak is saying, but I don't agree if it's what I think it means. Unless I miss my guess, connecting the street endings is implying to connect the dead-ends to the main roads/avenues. Like I said, I disagree because even though it may cut down on commute time it will create congested streets. I frequently use dead-end streets to keep congestion down--and it works like a charm!

It's an interesting design, but if that's low-density zoning in my opinion, the monorail and avenue are overkill. A rail system with strategically placed roads would do the trick at a fraction of the cost. Of course, your mileage may vary.

[MrFingers 0]

Yup, no there are plenty of little tweeks and alternatives, the main idea here is the tree patterns which are hard to do when you are just a gridding nub like me

[RushHourFreak 1]

mystrelia: thats a dilemma, strategically located, some streets will be crowded if connecting them to big avenues, otherwise commute time will be longer, that depends on the citie's design, but in some dcases i agree with your hypothesis. 

Cul-de-sac ending streets is a creative street ending, and more aesthetic in terms of presentation. 

MrFingers: Kepp on doing, This tutorial is important, for early in the game so make another example!

[Camaron 1]

Very nice article MrFingers.

[MrFingers 0]

I'll show you guys a few pictures of an entire city based on this layout when im finished with it