Achieving Residential and Commercial Max Density

[ArchDan 0]

What tips does anyone have with regards to increasing the commercial and residential density to the third and highest level possible? I would prefer someone who has actually achieved this to answer instead of someone speculating...

[ScottyDoesKnow 8]

Population details and happiness panels. As long as your roads are the right density, there's enough room and they're happy, they'll upgrade. Check the building density map to see who's happy and who's not, then click on the unhappy buildings to find out why.

[Srafty 7]

a few medium density $$$ residential is easy, because very Earlie on there will be available jobs for them and since u need to build parks to increase $$$ land value there is no real immediate need to supply them with $$$ C..... when placing parks the entire house need not be covered in dark green, just the roads front edge if the entire edge isnt covered or if for any reason they go down in wealth just demolish them they will rezone instantly as $$$. also each $$$ R takes up quiet alot of room.

[ArchDan 0]

Thanks for the info guys but I have high density roads with sufficient space for max density expansion as indicated by the adjacent line when zoning certain areas, but regardless of general high happiness and high money possession from my sims in addition to full coverage of all areas by the police and despite the indication of high likelihood of density expansion as indicated by the relevant data map, I have sat for over a year with mid density buildings... Is there a specific happiness level or tax rate on buildings required for density to expand to its highest density level? Cus otherwise I'm again completely baffled by this games mechanics..

[Trooth 22]

It takes time to get to max. With the way I play I generally send several million to a city, zone my 8x8 blocks with 3 horizontal and 3 vertical avenues. I then zone my industry at the best place to avoid pollution for residential, normally 4 blocks, and then I zone 12 or 16 residential zones, and as things grow ad in fire coverage, medical, and then police. I plop a college or university early to turn industry to high tech. I generally hit 12-15k and then the second density starts. And it will baloon to 60k to 75k and stall for q bit, then the next density hits which takes me beyond 200k. You have to keep the Sims happy and put commercial or parks within reach and keep schools and medical facilities going. I have noticed that only plopping a college will make Sims unhappy because their children can't go to school and in one city that has kept my density from going past the first upgrade. Generally if something isn't upgrading go see why, the Sims will tell you what is wrong.

[ArchDan 0]

I use the same strategies as you and it does work best for efficiently upgrading desity but I perhaps overlooked the importance of having each and every educational institution. I have a elementary, college, and university, and I'm at an educational level of 4.5/5 and my happines level of my pop sways between 70-80 perc. happiness level but regardless I don't yet have a high school.. I'm not sure how that could be the keystone to this all but whatever ill plop one none the less.... Now with regards to reaching a tier of 200k pop+ in order to increase density, if that is indeed the case that IMO is poor game mechanics...because I want to restrict the amount of space used for residential.. My intent in this strategy is to use as little space as possible yet maintaining the highest population possible but if what ur saying is indeed correct then I would need to use a SET amount of land at Minimum to even achieve the highest desity which seems wrong to me I dunno..

[Trooth 22]

I may be wrong, but I just noticed that in my last city.and that is the first I ever tried to do without elementary-high-university. I normally skipped.college, but used it as the only one due to its better cost/benefit than the others. That is the first I have seen people about children not going to school. It is also the first I have seen stall like that, which is fine I just wanted educated workers for my nuclear plant and electronics, but now I want to push it to the next density level too. Education can take a chunk of change out of a budget.

[ArchDan 0]

I've noticed u can hold out on upgrades from an elementary as long as you want, despite crime, and tech level repercussions but happiness levels will still be maintained so long as your doing everything else right of course.

[Trooth 22]

I was wrong about that keeping a city at mid density. In one of my 200k plus cities I only have a university. It may be a factor, but shouldn't be the only one.