Planning for large regions

[Raysfan16 5]

I've been pretty mesmerized by all the regions with many towering high-rises. 

But I know to start small (right..?) and I normally need an industrial section to start out the region.

I've looked at the Make Money The Easy Way guide, and used my suburbia, industrial/high tech sectors, medium-high density res cities, and a CBD. But I keep getting stuck, especially in the Suburbia map where I have all the streets and houses in place, and I don't want to spend money to reconfigure the transportation and zoning.

Basically all I'm asking is how do you plan your region if the intention is a huge metropolis, and if you want high wealth high-rises, where do you start?

[phoenix7 3]

I generally start in the city I want to have my CBD. That way, when it is time for my suburbs, there is lots of residential demand, which in turn creates more commercial demand.

[Maxis92 11]

Originally posted by: phoenix7 I generally start in the city I want to have my CBD. That way, when it is time for my suburbs, there is lots of residential demand, which in turn creates more commercial demand.quote>

 

Yeah, I start on the map that I plan to have as my city center, then build from its downtown (IMO, it's the most realisitc way to start a city).

They say it's best to build out before you build up, but I usually build up before building out. Just make sure you have enough jobs + zone your residential areas properly & it will all fall in place. 

For mass transit, you should have rapid lines along main roads in& out of your employment centers, and feeder lines from the neighborhoods. Grid streets are usually the best way to make a huge Metropolis fast.

[TheCrybKeeper 301]

I use the very same technique for regions, as I do for a single city; a balanced grid system.

Here is a color coded region pattern you can get an idea from:

This region is 20 pixels by 20 pixels, with nine large cities for your population.