Buffalo-Niagara

[rjm35 0]

I have been a member of Simtropolis for a while now and I finally have decided to start a CJ.  I have been admiring a lot of people's work in the community, especially city recreations.  So I have decided to undertake the task of recreating my hometown of Buffalo, New York and its surrounding region.  Many thanks go out to sargeantcm for his awesome Buffalo buildings, leningrad for his map of the region, and everyone else that adds to the community.  Without all of your time and hard workI would be unable to even think about doing this CJ.  With that said, on with the show.

Buffalo is not the easiest city to recreate with SimCity because of its interesting street layout, but it actually has worked been than I thought it would.  Because many building types that are common throughout Buffalo, such as converted warehouses into lofts and grain elevators, are not available on the STEX, I will be creating a region as close as possible to reality while still taking some liberties to fill in the gaps.  The final product will actually end up more like a new and improved Buffalo while still holding on to the character of the region.  So stay tuned for more updates coming soon and I hope you enjoy it.

[dralin321 0]

Oh your new to making a cj! And so far, I'm liking it, hope to see an update!

[dadyrghluv 8]

nice to see a CJ of a town i know. i grew up in rochester, near buffalo. i hope to see ralph wilson stadium soon up there.

[.soapy 127]

Awesome! I was just in Buffalo not too long ago, lovely city. although, Im not particularly fond of Niagara area

anyway, I hope to see some great updates here, Buffalo is one of my favourite Cities.

[suplado! 23]

wow...interesting! your first pic is really good...

[bighaben 0]

Can't wait! I lived in Kenmore and Towndawanda for a few years, I'll keep my eye one this CJ.

[Dsrwhat316 12]

a very nice start! i haven't been to the buffalo/niagara area for years, so i don't remember what it looks like too well. that first pic is very nice; and great photo editing usage. hope to see more soon!

[Cleaner475 150]

nice effectwith the pic -it looks beautiful can't wait to see the first update and see what you can do

Richard

[penguin007 27]

Great start there cant wait to see more

Will

[bbfan02 23]

Very nice scenary! Your picture looks very eye-pleasing. Looking forward to future updates!

Excellent job,

-bbfan02-

[djcool345 9]

Cool,when I went on a trip and we drove through buffalo a lot of skyscrapers and other buildings seemed vacant,I feel bad for buffalo,it seems like they have it much worse than here in cleveland.

[rct3twins 14]

Cool! My uncle lives there.

[Za 164]

Very nice...Buffalo is our "Next door neighbor"....looking forward to this

[Ryan B 35]

Good to see another attempt at Buffalo!  Being from the WNY area (and frequenting Buffalo), I can make highway signs for you if you'd like. 

[jacqulina 162]

great start and intro my friend cant wait to see more,the first pic is very nice

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Sounds like a nice concept. Bring on the CJ!

[Skram 4]

nice teaser can't wait to see more!Very promising start!

[2nerdy4u 1]

That pic is pretty nice. I'm looking forward to an update.

[Streetwise 3]

It looks like you have a great start.

I would think building a city modeled after a real one would just about be the ultimate chllange. It is good you realize that some liberties must be taken by, as you said, filling in the gaps.

I may try to model an actual city someday, too in a CJ. I don't know if it will be very good, but I'll try.

What's your next step going to be? I'm subscribing to this topic to find out.

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Nice teaser shot! Can't wait to see what you do with the interesting street layout.

I've never been to Buffalo but I don't much care for the American side of Niagara. Our falls are better!

[rjm35 0]

dralin32: thanks i hope you enjoy this cj.

dadyrghluv:  Thanks i hope this cj looks familiar.  The Ralph will be there but im terrible at BATs so it will be a bit different.

toki.s:  I hope you feel the same way about this cj as you do about the real thing

bighaben:  Kenmore and Tonawanda pose just as big of a problem as Downtown

Dsrwhat316: hope this cj helps you remember

djcool345: ya it's tough living in this city. Hopefully we can turn it around like cleveland did

ryanb_sc4: that would be great. Adding a unique touch to buffalo.  Go Sabres!

Schulmanator: glad you like the idea. can't wait to hear more replies.

Streetwise: Doing a re-creation of a city is a lot harder than i thought it would be.  You should definately give it a try if you are looking for a challenge.

edmonton_stinks: ya your falls are better. Canada's great.

Update 1

So it has been a while and I have been hard at work every so often so i apologize for the wait.  My progress has been limited thus far to creating the main parts of the CBD and outlining most of the main streets, highways, and light rail that encompasses Buffalo.  I have also started on developing some of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Here is an overview of my current progress of Buffalo.  I am currently in the zoning process of the rest of downtown.  Nothing drastic should grow in these zoned areas, they are just meant to act as filler in the area.  You can also see the beginning phases of the waterfront along the river and the highway system.

Here is a closer look at the core of downtown, Niagara Square.  This was the focal point of the original design of the city and still is today.  Notable buildings in this pic inclue City Hall (upper right), City Court House (upper left), and a bit of the Liberty Building (bottom).

Here is a pic of the city's theatre district.  The Regal Theatres here are supposed to be the real life Shea's Theatre (a very interesting building that would look great as a BAT if anyone is interested in making it).  Here you can also see the Metro Rail which runs down Main Street in Downtown.

Lastly, downtown living has recently finally come back into the downtown area.  Several old warehouses have been restored and reused and are now serving as beautiful lofts.  These lofts have all been very successful and several have been rented out before the buildings were even finished.

That's all for this update but I will leave you with a few things:

Future updates will include the parks system, the completion and details of the highways, the development of surrounding neihborhoods.

I also had a thought that i think many of you would be interested in.  Buffalo is full of vacant and underused land, some just minutes from the downtown core.  I would like to know if you would like to participate and have a say in what I should develop in these areas.  What i'm looking for now is a general interest in the idea and if there is then i will get into the dtails later.

So thanks for your time and i am looking towards whatever comments you may have!

[CaliforniaTeen 0]

Beautiful! Encore, encore! This looks great! I only recommend you get rid of the zones by plopping the buildings instead. Trust me, it's a lot faster. Looking forward to more.

[bbfan02 23]

Looks awsome! I like all of your buildings. Great update.

-bbfan02-

[dadyrghluv 8]

ha-ha i know that tram all too well, nice touch. its been awhile since i seen buffalo since i moved to NC, but its all coming back now thanx to this CJ! keep up the good work.

[rjm35 0]

how would i be able to plop the buildings rather than zoning?

[dralin321 0]

Very well done of placement of buildings! I like the brown border too!

[2nerdy4u 1]

Great work. You pay attention to the details and that's what makes a quality CJ. I love the picture with the GLR and the borders you put around your images add the experience. Nice work.

[bighaben 0]

Awesome, and realistic update. I agree, plop, it's easier for recreations.

[lucky7 73]

Good CJ so far, great details, looking forward to more,

lucky7

[Mr. Beer 12]

Good details! Hope to see more! ;-)

Cheers!

David