How much recreation is needed?

[Sainty 0]

I never know how much recreatoin is actually needed. When my city starts to grow, i alwas seem to loose cash. I think that it might depend on the recreation since all other uttilies are set after the demand.

Plz, have a look at the screen shot, this is how i normaly put recreation object around my "blocks". Its basicly the same with commercial blocks as well, but instead of skate parks I use plazas.

How much is enough?

[Facelessman 5]

hmm...yeah. I don't think you're going to make enough money from that neighborhood to support all those parks AND all the other stuff.

[Silur 3,308]

I think you have unreal giant budget and you may have anyone recreatoins

[Sainty 0]

Let me ask this way instead: is recreations only effecting desirability?

[Sam 163]

Originally posted by: Sainty Let me ask this way instead: is recreations only effecting desirability?quote>

No, recreation also affects demand cap and therefore how big your city can grow. Ultimately providing recreation (and its demand cap relief) is what limits your residential population. If you want high populations then you need to place lots of recreation lots.

You see, when you start building a city there is a limit on how many sims or businesses you can have in each sector. For example at the start of the city, you can only have 20 000 R$ sims without doing anything to raise that limit. For residential sims, parks and rec raise that limit. For example if you have no parks and you get your population to 20 000 R$ sims then no more will move in until you place a recreation lot. If you place a large plaze that increases the limit by about 9000 I think. So with one large plaza your limit is 29 000. Place another one and the limit is 38 000 R$ sims.

As you can see, as your city gets larger, this need is harder to satisfy because you have lots of large buildings, but nowhere to put new parks, but your city will stall without them.

But parks are also a drain on the budget so go easy on them until you really need them to get more growth. The trick is to balance what you need with what you can afford. So you might be better off going for the more space efficient parks ie the ones with a lot of demand cap relief but which take up as little space as possible. I find the small flower garden quite efficient.

[beedubaya 4]

Im guessing parks attract higher wealth residents? Or are they just to raise the cap.

[akhilles 1]

Originally posted by: sam

Originally posted by: SaintyLet me ask this way instead: is recreations only effecting desirability?quote>

No, recreation also affects demand cap and therefore how big your city can grow. Ultimately providing recreation (and its demand cap relief) is what limits your residential population. If you want high populations then you need to place lots of recreation lots.

You see, when you start building a city there is a limit on how many sims or businesses you can have in each sector. For example at the start of the city, you can only have 20 000 R$ sims without doing anything to raise that limit. For residential sims, parks and rec raise that limit. For example if you have no parks and you get your population to 20 000 R$ sims then no more will move in until you place a recreation lot. If you place a large plaze that increases the limit by about 9000 I think. So with one large plaza your limit is 29 000. Place another one and the limit is 38 000 R$ sims.

As you can see, as your city gets larger, this need is harder to satisfy because you have lots of large buildings, but nowhere to put new parks, but your city will stall without them.

But parks are also a drain on the budget so go easy on them until you really need them to get more growth. The trick is to balance what you need with what you can afford. So you might be better off going for the more space efficient parks ie the ones with a lot of demand cap relief but which take up as little space as possible. I find the small flower garden quite efficient.quote>

Wow. Sounds like a simcity 4 master. You could write a strategy guide. I've got a lot to learn about the game. Right now I put a park & recreation zoning at the center of a residential area.

[xxbydesign 1]

Whoa, dude.  Total overkill with the parks.  Parks, as sam says, are demand cap modifiers, and are used to allow for more growth.  Go easy on parks until a neighborhood needs them to exceed the region's cap, then place a few sparingly to aviod your budget woes.  

I personally don't place any parks at all until I sort of see where my city's demographic center is leaning, i.e. where downtown/main street has formed.  It means I have to demolish some buildngs to place them, but I feel it gives the city a more organic feel.  I often will have several small centers, so each center gets a little grassy area and a plaza, normally.

So for me, these relitively small parks in scattered sections of a city work just fine for me to relieve demand cap, fight air pollution, and improve city sentiment, while not breaking my budget.  Plus, this also spreads my desirability/land value around to seveal different areas so I get even develoment.  Concentrating parks in "fences" around districts will only promote development on those perimeters, and develoment might look uneven.

Just some things to think about, hope they help.  Remeber, all things in moderation...

[crazychickensc12 84]

i build more for the realism so i like to spread parks out in my suburban areas, and maybe have one in downtown, i have mods and lots that take care of the rest because its simply for realistic city good luck and Welcome to ST!!

[BurroDiablo 222]

I don't use parks that much. If I do, they're usually just to fill spaces. I didn't know or notice that parks raised pop caps, I just thought they increased desirability in the area, notably leading to neighbourhoods become wealthier.

Still, parks are abit of a drain on the old funds... think my largest city spends 10k on parks (too many open grass lots). Just lowering the bar slightly gives me a 4k boost.

[+Guest]

Boy the Parks Department must really love having you as Mayor.Try Trees they not only look nice but clean the air.

[akhilles 1]

Eh... when I say a park/rec zoning, it's not like a 50x50 lot. lol. it's a combo of a few small $5 parks & trees & bus stops & a church & a private school, etc. at the center of a rez area. Compared to other people's cities I've seen, mine is nothing. In fact, the environmentalists would be after me if I were a mayor. I also like to put 2 $5 parks behind a bus stop as fillers. heck, i even stopped using football fields & small baseball stadiums cuz they're expensive & take up too much space. I have yet to spend 10k on parks in a city. Say, less than 5% of my city is park land.

[asteconn 9]

In response to the first question, Sainty: yes that is way too much. really all you'd need for that is maybe a flower garden or park green :-)

In response to the rest of the conversation I use parks randomly throughout any city. I just place them usually around an area that is struggling to develop sometimes too. I always add a football field though for schools for the sake of realism. Where else are the childs going to do their PE?