Vancouver, BC - Not a Recreation

[nycsc4 5,250]

As someone who lives in Vancouver I find this fascinating and I'm looking forward to seeing your solution for the West Broadway transit gong show

Also it's a good thing this isn't a re-creation, I imagine some of my fellow Vancouverites having brain aneurysms at the idea of a nuclear power plant island in the harbour!

I must say it is good to hear from a Vancouver resident who can appreciate what I am doing here! Since you mentioned the nuclear plants I'll let you (and I guess the rest of the community) in on a little secret. I am actually planning on moving the power plants. In an effort to create more features closer to that of the real Vancouver I am going to start placing utility plants in locations that are similar to those in real life. This is why I have built a large sewage and water treatment plant on Iona Island near YVR. Just like in real life. Now I have to find the locations of Vancouver's (or BC Hydro's) main power plant sites so I can judge where to place them permanently. Once I do that the island plants will be coming down. Vancouver or not I don't think anyone wants a nuclear plant in their bay.

Also, judging by your screen name you might find to be a great addition to your city.

I use it myself, Vancouver is a far better city because of it.

Hope you'll be a regular here! Would be nice to have a Vancouver based follower for tips and suggestions

  Edited October 22, 2012 by nycsc4  

[legalizeit 18]

Oh thanks, erm, yup, it's "medical"...

Most of our power in Vancouver comes from hydro dams in the interior and the north. We're talking out in the Rockies, a good 8 hour drive away sort of thing. But within the metro area there is a big natural gas facility in Belcarra, which is on the Burrard Inlet north of Port Moody. This might be a realistic place to put a bunch of power plants. Iona is actually a sewage treatment plant.

There are also some Vancouver BATs you might want to look into. I've definitely seen the Bentall Centre and the RBC building on the STEX. A whole bunch of glass-wall high density condos along your "False Creek" would also go some way in getting the look, but I don't know what's out there on that score.

[nycsc4 5,250]

Oh thanks, erm, yup, it's "medical"...

Most of our power in Vancouver comes from hydro dams in the interior and the north. We're talking out in the Rockies, a good 8 hour drive away sort of thing. But within the metro area there is a big natural gas facility in Belcarra, which is on the Burrard Inlet north of Port Moody. This might be a realistic place to put a bunch of power plants. Iona is actually a sewage treatment plant.

There are also some Vancouver BATs you might want to look into. I've definitely seen the Bentall Centre and the RBC building on the STEX. A whole bunch of glass-wall high density condos along your "False Creek" would also go some way in getting the look, but I don't know what's out there on that score.

I will have to check out Belcarra, sounds promising. I do have a large sewage plant on Iona as well, but I needed a place to put pumps and Iona seems like a good location. Close to the ocean and near the treatment plants.

I have both Bentall Centre buildings in Downtown currently and I'm not sure I can find the RBC Building. I found an RBC bank building, but its a very small one story structure. False Creek is going to be getting a Marina very shortly, I finally figured out the terraforming issue. And modern glass structures are hard to come by in this SC4 world.

Thanks for your help!

[nycsc4 5,250]

Replies:

SimCoug: As always thank you for your comments. I love building individual neighborhoods!

Hazani Pratama (x3): Thanks for your comments!

nas786: Be glad you caught that one

Glad you like it!

MTT9: Thanks for your comments!

mrblisterdunde: Addressed in a previous comment.

Twenty20: Thanks!

Liszak: Thank you, I love Amsterdam!

sim_link: As always, thanks for your kind comments! Hope to see you back again!

vivapanda: Thanks! I think 4th Avenue might be my most realistic looking corridor.

Benedict: It's great to see you again! Thanks for your comments!

legalizeit: Thanks for your comments! Glad to have a Vancouver resident appreciate what I'm doing here!

There are some notes at the end of this update regarding Vancouver's efforts to protect the City from natural disasters in the wake of Hurricane Sandy's devastation of the East Coast.

On to the update!

This update will focus mostly on Port Metro Vancouver. Port Metro Vancouver is actually a consortium (of sorts) of various ports around the Metro area. This update will focus on the main seaport along the City's waterfront. I am also going to include a few shots of the rail distribution facility in Strathcona and some shots of the recently updated Grandview-Woodland Neighborhood.

First, the Southern half of the Port of Vancouver:

Here you can see the City's container port (right) which has capacity for 4 large container ships. On the right you can see the Southern half of the City's very large break-bulk port. The Northern half unfortunately rests in the city tile directly above this one. The break-bulk port has capacity for roughly 23 barges and 6 large cargo ships. All areas of the port are connected by road and rail.

This is the Western half of the container port. Downtown Vancouver begins to rise here and Vancouver's Waterfront Station is just out of frame to the right. The "medium plazas" from Maxis will eventually be re-lotted into a beautifully landscaped bike and pedestrian path.

A closeup of one of the City's container terminals.

Here is a photo of the British Columbia Port Authority located along Clark Drive. The Port Authority recently bought the vacant sugar plant and turned it into their headquarters.

An overview of the City's large break-bulk facility. Piers 1-4 can be seen here. 5-7 are located in the Northern half.

Cargo ships at the break-bulk docks.

Break-bulk piers 1 and 2.

This is a photo showing a very important rail route out of the port. Yellow dashed lines represent freight rails (all of the rails in this photo are freight rails, I just didn't mark them all). This rail tunnels out of the port and eventually comes back above ground and runs South to the rail distribution facility you will see at the end of this update. The modern glass building on the right is the HQ for Port Metro Vancouver.

Now, we move to the Northern half of the Port.

Here you can see Piers 5-7 and the City's garbage docks and facilities.

A little bit of a closer shot on the City's large garbage docks. All the garbage docks have rail connections to allow for the exporting of the City's garbage. Garbage is taken from here to a landfill in the Richmond/Delta region and eventually up North to a landfill that has yet to be constructed. The City maintains 5 recycling centers along the rail line as well.

Another view of the City's garbage facilities. Here you can also see the rail ferry accepting ferries of rail cars. This is one of two rail ferries in the City. One is located in the Southern half of the seaport for containers and break-bulk cargo, the second (this one) is mainly used for garbage, but also has connections to the break-bulk docks. Passengers can use this one as well.

A closeup of Vancouver's garbage facilities.

The second rail ferry.

Finally, I want to show some updated shots of the Grandview-Woodland Neighborhood!

Here is a shot that combines the Strathcona neighborhood (the large business district) and the Grandview-Woodland neighborhood (dense tenements in the foreground). This is the historic core of the City. The industrial area off to the left still has some work to be done!

A closeup of Downtown Strathcona with some added detail on the rail lines. Once again the yellow is freight and the blue is commuter. These are exclusive lines, meaning commuter and freights trains cannot switch between the lines. Eventually the yellow freight line here meets up with the mainline and will head North to the Port of Vancouver. Just to the left of that freight line is the rail distribution facility I had mentioned earlier.

A closeup of the rail distribution facility in Downtown Strathcona.

Finally the last photo of the update! This is a shot of the Southern half of the Grandview-Woodland neighborhood. Here you can see the commuter rail line heading East and West (much of it is tunneled, aside from the Grandview-Woodland station) and the North and South running freight rail line. This freight rail line is the mainline connection between the Southern industrial area (and rail distribution facility) and the Port of Vancouver.

I hope you enjoyed this industry centered update! Again my apologies for the lack of street activity and the pollution. I still haven't completed the city tile yet and therefore I haven't been able to run the simulation yet. I plan to bring you street life very soon!

Changes the City of Vancouver has made or is currently making to protect itself from natural disasters:

1) All essential public buildings and agencies (hospitals, police/fire stations, City Hall/government, and transit) have moved generators to upper floors and attics to keep them out of potential flooding. 2) The City's power plants have been moved to the Belcarra area near Port Moody and are online with connections to the City of Vancouver. They are also well above sea level and out of any flood range. 3) All garbage docks and facilities have been repositioned to face the City with a seawall on the opposite side. This doesn't really protect from flooding, but does protect the facilities from violent waves and surges. 4) Some future changes will include new breakwaters, wetland reclamation, and there is still work to be done around the Iona Island treatment plants. I am still taking ideas and suggestions for better ways to protect the City from violent storms!

Please leave a comment or some rep, would love to hear what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Jason

[vivapanda 422]

Great update!

Both the port and the city are very nice

[Benedict 3,119]

Wow, what an update. I like that you have made the effort to separate your freight and commuter rail. The work around the port area is excellent.

[B.C builder 291]

I love it. All these details are impressive! Great work!

[Susaji 523]

Cool Update!

[RepublicMaster 428]

Nice Ports but you have the grid on!

[lovemax 41]

cool

[nycsc4 5,250]

Hello everyone!

Once again, sorry for the lack of consistent updates. I just moved to a new city and that has been consuming most of my life recently.

I wanted to inform you that I have been working on Vancouver during this time, however, I haven't had the time for full updates. Anyway I do have a few shots that I recently posted in a couple of the different "show us your..." threads. These are of the new Waterfront Station. I was recently in Denver and got inspired by their ambitious Union Station project and began to dream up something similar I could build in Sim City and I came up with what you are about to see here.

Vancouver has undergone some massive changes since the last update. The entire commuter rail system was redesigned, Waterfront Station was relocated to a location more similar to the real life Waterfront Station. The Port of Vancouver has undergone a total redesign, especially around the freight rail networks. The project also included new condos, offices, and stores to anchor the new Waterfront Station and a beautiful park constructed on top of the commuter switch yard to provide residents with a new Waterfront Park.

Before:

After:

Hope you like!

I hope to have more soon!

Thanks!

[Equilibria 16]

Good to see you back! I actually love that raised park over the train tracks so much a spent about 2 hours trying to replicate it the first time I saw it. I got it fairly close...

[nycsc4 5,250]

Replies:

 

vivapanda:  Thanks for your comments!

Benedict:  Thanks!  Much more to come on the commuter and freight rail fronts.  Been making some MAJOR changes recently.

B.C builder:  Thanks, details are the name of my game!

Hazani Pratama:  Thanks!

RepublicMaster:  Thanks, and yes, I have a tendency to leave that grid tool on.

lovemax:  Thanks!

Equilibria:  Thanks, I actually wanted to reply to yours personally, but got sidetracked and never got to it.  It's great to see you still floating around here!  I would really love to see your attempt at the raised park over the rail yard!

 

 

I'm back again!  This isn't an update in the general sense of the word, I actually need some suggestions.  I finally got around to building Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and one of the major projects left is to connect it to the city's transit system.  I have three options mapped out and want to know which one you guys think works best!

 

 

Here is the current layout of TransLink's commuter rail network.

These 5 lines have been selected and planned for.

 

 

Here is the first option to connect to YVR.

This plan involves building a new terminal station on the West side of Downtown and running two lines, one to UBC (Point Grey) and one to Delta (through YVR and Richmond).

Cons:

No direct connection to Waterfront Station meaning passengers would have to jump onto a streetcar between the two stations.

The expense of building a new terminal station with associated infrastructure in a dense urban neighborhood.

 

Pros:

Connects Delta, Surrey, and Langley residents with YVR without having to transfer through Downtown Vancouver.

Completes the "rail beltway" around the Southern section of Metro Vancouver eliminating the need for additional freeways.

 

 

Option 2:

Option 2 would require building a high-speed underground subway line that would run from Waterfront Station directly to the airport.  Option 2 would also require the construction of a spur line from the Delta line to Richmond and back to Delta.  A Point Grey connection would be eliminated.

Cons:

Does not complete the "rail beltway" system.

Does not provide a route for South Metro Vancouver residents to reach YVR without traveling to Waterfront Station first.

Cost of subway construction.

 

Pros:

Subway line provides fast uninterrupted service directly from Waterfront Station to the airport.

Richmond gets connected to the commuter rail network.

 

 

Option 3:

Option 3 would require building a subway line directly from Waterfront Station to YVR.  Option 3 would also require construction of a commuter rail line from Delta to YVR.  Again, Point Grey service is eliminated for the time being.

Cons:

Cost of subway construction.

Transfer between subway and commuter rail at YVR for non airport passengers.

 

Pros:

Direct high speed service from Waterfront Station to YVR.

Completes the "rail beltway" system.

Allows quicker access to YVR for Delta, Surrey, Langley, and Richmond residents.

Since Delta, Surrey, and Langley all have direct lines from Waterfront Station, passengers traveling downtown would not have to transfer through Richmond and YVR.

 

 

And here is how the subway stations would be placed at Waterfront.

The line would run under Cambie Street in Downtown Vancouver with stops throughout the city to provide quick access to YVR from various locations.

There would be two stops, one at the outdoor platform that services Amtrak and VIA Rail customers and one at the main terminal building serving Metro Vancouver customers.

 

 

Which plan do you guys like best?

Thanks!

[89James89 1,169]

Awesome maps and some really nice city images you've got here.

 

Especially like the look of the new station plan.

 

Cheers

 

James

[cmdp123789 710]

I like option 2... to be honest, it looks like its the more consistent... anyways... I like your CJ, first time in here, and Im already a big fan!

[nycsc4 5,250]

I like option 2... to be honest, it looks like its the more consistent... anyways... I like your CJ, first time in here, and Im already a big fan!

 

Thanks for your suggestion!  I also like Option 2 the only problem is access to YVR from South Metro Vancouver.  The choice will either be Option 2 or Option 3.  After some research I found that building a new terminal station and it's required infrastructure in the West End would result in displacing many homes, businesses, roads, and other infrastructure.  Because of that, a subway line that will run directly from Waterfront to YVR is now under construction.

[cmdp123789 710]

Glad to hear you are working on it... I know there is option 2 leaves out a part out, but, direct connection through subway + Richmond connecting to the system sounded more consistent than the other options... I'm eager to see the final result

[nycsc4 5,250]

My how time flies.  It's been close to 4 years since I've posted anything to this journal.  Believe it or not, I'm still building and perfecting Vancouver.  I've completed significantly more of the region and have moved on to building up the outer areas.  I've also completed YVR airport in addition to starting Burnaby Metrotown and other suburbs.  I'll be poking in and out of here, showing some pictures here and there.  Probably won't be as frequent or in depth as I'd like, but I'd love to share some of my city with you guys.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks,

Jason

[Compdude787 916]

Oh, wow, welcome back! Nice to meet you!

[nycsc4 5,250]

Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver, BC.

Service for commuter rail, light rail, subway, and bus lines.

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

Vancouver is from which I hayl . 

[TakemeThere 5,833]

@nycsc4 Nice work! It's neat that you still make use of maxis buildings here and there, I do as well since their are a number of them that are pretty decent. I like how wide the promenade is, it gives sims plenty of space to walk around. That wide pedestrian bridge to the train station was a good idea as well, you definitely have an eye for things pedestrian friendly. 

[nycsc4 5,250]

On 3/3/2017 at 9:01 PM, Takingyouthere said:

@nycsc4 Nice work! It's neat that you still make use of maxis buildings here and there, I do as well since their are a number of them that are pretty decent. I like how wide the promenade is, it gives sims plenty of space to walk around. That wide pedestrian bridge to the train station was a good idea as well, you definitely have an eye for things pedestrian friendly. 

Thanks!  If you build a city for cars...you get cars.  If you build a city for people...you get people.

Here are a couple of photos from the station area in the Hastings-Sunrise neighborhood in Northeastern Vancouver.

[korver 27,685]

Looking good I really like the building choice (Oakland Tribune looks really nice there), and as Takingyouthere mentioned, the Maxis buildings actually blend in really nicely. Also really like the layout of the rails too. Keep it up

[nycsc4 5,250]

Few more pictures of the Vancouver/Burnaby boundary.

 

Broadway Station.  The platforms to the left service eastbound trains to Burnaby and eventually to Surrey.  The platforms to the right service southbound trains towards Delta.  There is also subway and bus service.  Vancouver is to the right, Burnaby is to the left.

 

Willingdon Avenue station.  Located at the intersection of Willingdon Avenue and the Trans-Canada Highway.  Westbound service (left) towards Broadway Station and on to Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver.  Eastbound service (right) further into Burnaby and on to New Westminster and Surrey.

 

Pictured here is part of the rail trench that runs along the Trans-Canada Highway in Burnaby, BC.

 

A wider view of that same trench.  Willingdon Station is at the top and Broadway Station is in the bottom left corner.

 

This is the interchange with the Trans-Canada Highway and McGill Street in the Hastings-Sunrise neighborhood of east Vancouver.

 

Hope you like it!  Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.

Thanks!

[nycsc4 5,250]

Couple more rail oriented shots of Vancouver's east side.

 

A VIA Rail train pulls into Hastings-Sunrise station.

 

One of Vancouver's streetcar lines.  This one is located in the median of Boundary Road (between Vancouver and Burnaby) and will run the length of the city when completed.

 

A VIA Rail train at the Amusement Park station in the Hastings-Sunrise neighborhood.

 

Thanks for looking!

[korver 27,685]

Nice work once again That rail corridor is really well done!

[nycsc4 5,250]

Have a few region shots of Vancouver here.  Slowly starting to spread out.  There's a transportation map here too, purple dictates streetcar/GLR tracks.  Last shot shows the completed YVR and Sea Island.

Let me know what you think!

[John doe29 4]

Why aren't the screenshots showing?

[nycsc4 5,250]

12 hours ago, John doe29 said:

Why aren't the screenshots showing?

Probably since I haven’t updated this in over 3 years.  I use a different photo uploading site now too.  Truth be told I couldn’t even tell you where the originals are.  I occasionally post updates in the Show Us What You’re Working on Thread.

Right now I’m in the process of rebuilding the entire city (new computer, technical issues, etc) so there isn’t much to show yet.  Maybe I’ll start updating this again in the future.

Appreciate you taking a look though!