San Leandro (#11 Connecting the Dots)

[max_13 128]

San Leandro

#1 Starting Small...ish

 

 

 

So I actually lost re-election over in All because the new interchange destroyed some flowers in the backyard of my biggest donor. Luckily some excentric Taloogan billionaire owns unused land and wants me to develop it for him. Restrictions? None. Democracy? Zero. That's more like it. I knew my tax breaks would help the economy in the long run. My economy.

 

The available land is actually quite spectacular and features everything from beaches over mountains, rivers, waterfalls, lakes to large plains.

 

 

 

 

The first settlement started out as a highway exit for cars that are passing through the area.

 

 

I quickly built a highway stop so travellers would take some time and notice the area.

 

The original highway stop.

 

Infoboxes were set up advertizing several real estate projects and demand quickly ramped up. The first town, Marion, was established and grew to around 2,000 inhabitants.

 

Overview of the first settlement.

 

The church and adjacent graveyard. You can see the town hall through the trees on the left.

 

The picturesque town hall.

 

Reverse angle of the townhall and the church. Behind the church is our small train station.

 

We are starting out green with a recycling center.

 

The train station and the main shopping area.

 

Waiting for the train. I may be waiting alone but that will change soon enough.

 

Parking and bus stops.

 

We couldn't build new homes fast enough in Marion, so sooner than expected we went a step further and began construction on the first regional hub, Southgate. Population: 10,000.

 

Overview of Southgate.

 

Southgate has a small downtown area and is the proud site of the first sports stadium in San Leandro. Go Southgate Legends!

 

The baseball stadium near downtown.

 

Entrance to the stadium.

 

Downtown Southgate.

 

Downtown and stadium.

 

The main plaza.

 

Southgate beach.

 

What's a beach without the stereotypical coffee shop?

 

Southgate tennis.

 

San Leandro State University (Southgate Campus)

 

We also went ahead and attracted some industry to be less reliant on imports.

 

Yay, black lung!

 

Cargo area.

 

The area right now.

 

Okay, that's it for the new chapter! Thanks for reading

[Sanshy6544 42]

Nice little city.

I absolutely love the 6th picture with the electricity pillars in the middle of the two road.

I like the atmosphere going out of your town :-)

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Fantastic pictures. You know how to create a city with style, with space, with cool fillers and boy do you work that terrain. Picture 19 hast to be my favourite because it has those huge looming mountains half covered in mist. Also your pictures still look great even without the insanely strong red-tinted colour filter you once used.

 

Also which map you are using? It's a good one.

[iviaarten 534]

That's an amazing looking map, and a very promising start to a city. Nice camera angles as well. Much to like here.

[89James89 1,169]

Looks really nice. I like the CBD and the fact that the building sizes transition in a smooth way not a huge leap.

 

Cheers

 

James

[max_13 128]

Replies:

Sansha: Thank you!

Ln X: Wow, thank you, very kind words. I use this map. I like it a lot, I merely had to delete his rather silly highways and rails and do some minor cleanup.

iviaarten: Thanks! See above for the map.

89James89: Thanks! Actually I'd like the transition to be a lot smoother, but I clearly lack medium-sized buildings. A highrise ban doesn't cut it.

 

 

San Leandro

#2 Old Town

 

I've always wanted to build a proper old town, and now that my investor granted me absolute freedom I gave it a shot. In the future it will be situated very close to downtown of my largest city, but right now the surrounding area is still barren land. I will do another update once the old town has some context.

 

 

 

In front of one of the massive gates.

 

Access by train is particularly dramatic.

 

Old Town Station.

 

A long row of buildings. Nowadays used as a school.

 

Even the metro entrance (to the right) has an old feel to it.

 

Historic housing.

 

Art school.

 

The original city hall. Nowadays a museum.

 

The current city hall to the left and San Leandro Cathedral to the right.

 

City hall and plaza.

 

San Leandro State University.

 

San Leandro Gate.

 

View from city hall.

 

Joining the trend of decorated roundabouts.

 

Okay that's it for now. Thanks for reading!

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Wow this area must be a first in CS! My only complaint would be the very chunky bloated walls, but overall it looks pretty good.

[89James89 1,169]

Interesting and well executed concept. Love how it all fits together!

 

Cheers

 

James

[iviaarten 534]

Very nicely done. Will be great to see how this will look when some more medieval style buildings get made... and of course the wall-2-wall buildings... Good things in the future.

 

Very creative entry. There's a lot to like here.

[max_13 128]

San Leandro

Mod Spotlight

 

Before I post my update later on I wanted to quickly highlight a mod that I extensively use ever since I discovered it: ploppable gap-fillers. Once you install them they will show up in the water category and may be placed anywhere. Some screens for better understanding (sorry for the low resolution):

 

These street corners have been turned from grass to concrete. Even the small parking lots in the front are made with these brushes.

 

 

 

 

Concrete harbor:

 

 

 

Marble roundabout:

 

 

There are also brushes for agriculture among other things that will definitely come in handy once I do a farming district.

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Nice one! I used these brush textures a couple of days ago for farming. My only complaint is the lack of an orientation helper, so I have to flip back to the normal view to see the layout of these texture pieces.

[max_13 128]

Replies:

Ln X: Thanks. I agree the walls are a bit heavy, but those were the only ones I found.

iviaarten+89James89: Thanks, glad you guys liked it!

 

 

San Leandro

#3 A Metropolis Was Born

 

Old Town isn't alone anymore. My investor, a friendly but rather simple fella, told me after our last meeting in Southgate to "go big or go home!". So the pressure was on to develop a proper Metropolis in record time. Building a global city from scratch is a new one for me, but I hope for my jobs sake that I succeeded. So far the growth has been stellar and I'm hopeful. I present - Ocean City.

 

Pictures don't really do it justice that's why I plan to take you on a video tour in a later update.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown is situated in the south of the city. It features the highest buildings in San Leandro and the most extensive office area, including Oceanic Trade Center.

One of the longest streets in the county stretches along the coastline of Ocean City, Sunset Boulevard. You can find everything from highend shopping to waterfront appartments right here.

To the north and west of downtown is Upper Ocean City. It is dominated by its vicinity to the tourist trap called old town and by the biggest nightlife attraction of the city, The Strip.

Eastern Ocean City is a less affluent district where crime is rampant and the wealth gap noticeable.

 

 

 

Downtown

 

Oceanic Park

 

In front of a modern art installment in Oceanic Park

 

A shopping street

 

View from downtown along San Leandro Avenue toward old town

 

Rooftop dining

 

Sunset Blvd going through downtown

 

Just sippin' a coffee

 

San Leandro County Seat. The muppets don't have anything to say so I kind of cramped them into a shopping district. Myself will be welcoming guests in a different part of San Leandro. I only come here for gambling.

 

San Leandro School of Fine Arts

 

A more quiet corner in downtown

 

One of the many skyscrapers that form Ocean City's skyline

 

Oceanic Trade Center

 

Driving on the eastern bridge

 

View from San Leandro River

 

There are many parks to be found in all parts of downtown

 

 

San Leandro Avenue

 

The main avenue leads from old town all the way through the city to downtown.

 

View from old town

 

Main Roundabout

 

 

 

Sunset Blvd

 

 

Hipster store

 

Northern end of Sunset Blvd

 

 

Upper Ocean City

 

Uptown shopping

 

The Strip

 

View from the other side

 

Cinema

 

Incoming traffic uses the overpass into downtown - The Strip was clogged 24/7 before I built that

 

Overview of the entertainment facilities (I pretend they're casinos until I get real ones)

 

Park in front of a private college

 

Private clinic

 

 

Eastern Ocean City

 

Overview

 

The wealth gap is real

 

Streets of Hopelessness

 

Still some roadwork to do, but who cares right?

 

Meth transfer site High school

 

 

Industrial Expasion

 

To meet growing demand I decided to expand on the little industrial district I placed near Southgate. We now have a total of 3 industrial areas, although the two additional ones are still very much a developing project.

 

Ocean City Industry Park north of the current city limits

 

Closeup

 

A brand new giant harbor further away from the city

 

 

 

 

Some Notes on City Design

 

Ocean City does have a lot of grids which I think is very much necessary for a large city, but I tried to make sure that I break the grid regurlarly. Every block has been designed individually and I tried to make sure that there's something interesting to look at both at eye level and when looking up.

 

Some blocks are fairly green

 

Some are rather grey

 

Small shops like this can be found everywhere

 

 

Okay that's it, thanks for reading. Sorry for the huge update, but a metropolis doesn't really work in small parts in my opinion. There's still lots of room to grow for the city, but the foundation has been laid.

[iviaarten 534]

Jebus, you have been busy!

 

That's a LOT of development for a single entry Hard to keep up.

 

The city is looking lovely though, very well done.

[max_13 128]

Replies:

iviaarten: I know it's a lot of content, but the city will be the heart of the whole region so I'll get back to it quite regularly.

 

 

San Leandro

#4 Infrastructure Changes Near Southgate

 

The growth of Ocean City had some adverse effects on the traffic near Southgate, more specifically the industry park that was expanding steadily to meet the ever-increasing demand in Ocean City. The original interchanges weren't up for the task any longer and had to be changed to cope with increased volume.

 

The original interchange connecting Southgate to the highway and Southern Industry Park. Traffic was "a complete shitshow" as my advisor phrased it.

 

The upgraded interchange. Definitely function over form here. Traffic is flowing nicely once again

 

Reverse angle

 

I had an identical interchange further up the road

 

The original interchange

 

The upgraded interchange. Also no design awards for this spaghetti. But it works

 

Reverse angle

 

 

However, aside from increased traffic Ocean City does have positive effects on Southgate. New job opportunities and new ways to waste your money. And new franchises: the cinema in Upper Ocean City opened a location between the stadium and the university in Southgate.

 

But why do you open with a Harry Potter marathon?

 

 

 

I also changed the electric lines between the nuclear power plant of Southgate and Ocean City to underground cables which go along Sunset Blvd.

 

 

 

While all this is happening Southgate is slowly growing toward Ocean City.

 

The new highway exit proves to be popular among fast food chains. Who would've thought?

 

A new elementary school

 

Okay, thanks for reading!

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Great pictures. Some of the interchanges are really interesting, like that hour-glass shaped one.

[mgomrjsurf 16]

If you had a Food Exit Sign showing what Fast Food is off that Exit Would be good.

[iviaarten 534]

Love that corner with the new cinema, that last picture is great as well. The school fits in with that neighborhood very well.

[mrsmartman 200]

Great CJ! The castle set can be considered as one of the first attempts in C:SL to diversify the asset portfolio. Mayors should be able to build the styles of cities they wish to build.

[tankmank 853]

The growth between updates is huge, i like this new city region, i see one large urban area developing soon 

[Schulmanator 5,812]

Nice variety of different settings. I may dabble in CS one of these days myself

[max_13 128]

Replies:

Ln X: Thank you! The interchange you mentioned has traffic lights so it's sadly not useful for high volume. I'll try to include it some place more quiet.
mgomrjsurf: Good call, I have those at other highway exits. I still need to put them constantly.
iviaarten: Thank you, the cinema is a lovely asset!
mrsmartman: Thank you! I hope we get more historic buildings, but the modding community is ridiculously active and creative so I have little doubt.
tankmank: That's the goal yes. But I will also include low-density areas.
Schulmanator: Thank you! You should definitely try out CS, it's an amazing game!

 

 

San Leandro

#5 Exhibition and International Airport

 

To attract more business and tourism we need to think ahead of demand and totally overbuild on infrastructure. That sounds like a good plan, so I thought, and jump-started the development of not only one but two major infrastructure projects. The San Leandro Exhibition welcomes guests to marvel at the latest trends of many industries year-round while adjacent airport San Leandro International (SLX) expands on our travel options with two runways and four terminals. Needless to say that these projects as well as my simultaneously started farming and forestry districts (which I will cover next time) create a huge amount of new jobs - 6,000 to not be very precise. The problem is I haven't build a single house since I started all of this plus the Expo and SLX are very much in the middle of nowhere, so I actually needed a new city nearby which let to the foundation of Flat Rock, a city still very much at the start and which I will also cover next time. On a final note, thanks to a friendly mayor of another region (wink wink iviaarten) we actually managed to attract a chain of proper gas stations and a big recycling center!

 

But before I get to the main part, I first had to change one of the interchanges that I myself my summer intern designed last time:

 

Don't drink and build interchanges

 

While I did like the basic concept, it was just a pain to look at (esp. during the daily flights in my helicopter), so I changed it to something more curvy which would also blend in much better with the other interchanges in San Leandro.

 

Interchange 3.0. I know I still have some ways to go in interchange design, but in my defense the space here is pretty tight.

 

After I solved the highway congestion I realized (by never arriving at my destination) that my rail network hasn't been looked at since I built the first highway stop. This 4-way "interchange" is the busiest rail junction and connects several passenger and cargo terminals.

 

So if we all give way we should be good, right? Wrong!

 

I decided that I need several dedicated rails and after much fiddling around with the blueprints (again, very tight space and a highway that I refused to change), I came up with a somewhat working solution, although there's still one issue that I need to resolve once I find motivation to deal with interchanges again.

 

It makes sense, I swear

 

 

Let's now get to the two projects that turned the labor market of San Leandro upside down. First up is the San Leandro Exhibition.

 

Overview

 

Main entrance

 

Monument at the entrance with offices behind it

 

Metro and bus connections with the main hall 1 to the left

 

The lookout tower including a bad restaurant at the top

 

Hall 2 with auditorium

 

More exhibition facilities in all shapes and forms

 

Just in case we ever run out of room

 

Side view

 

 

While we already have around 4,000 gazillion m² of floor space I still left room for expansion. Next up, San Leandro International.

 

Overview

 

Driving on the bridge

 

Another very artsy monument

 

Airport hotel

 

One of the two metro entrances, bus stops and parking lots

 

Pedestrian paths make for quick travelling

 

In front of the terminals are long lines of shops

 

Dedicated emergency services and garbage disposals are situated in the office area - this is mirrored on the other side

 

San Leandro International is equipped with the latest ALS and PAPI systems

 

View of two of the four terminals

 

 

Now, as I said earlier, we also managed to attract a recycling center and a chain of gas stations! The gas station already has operations in Southgate and Flat Rock, but I'll show you a small highway stop near the Expo and Flat Rock.

 

Recycling center in the front and rural highway stop in the back

 

The gas station with obligatory highway junk food.

 

Very family friendly

 

Separate toilets

 

Okay, thanks for reading!

 

 

Asset list:

Exhibition halls and Marriott hotel are part of the World Trade Center (all assets are listed in the Workshop description)

Round building at the Expo

Lookout tower

Main hall

Gas station

Recycling center

Burger King

Airport terminal

ALS and PAPI

[iviaarten 534]

That's a very nice airfield, and your set up of the exhibition area is amazing. Not sure if I like those large buildings without any roof detailing. They fit into the area, but they just look unfinished. The marriot and some of the other buildings though... great finds!

Could you link the special assets you're using (I'm lazy )

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

That airport area you have created feels a bit like Las Vegas.

[tankmank 853]

The expo and airport look great, i like how you have put so many different assets together and it all works 

[Dazzyls 576]

Not only the expo and airport look great. Everything does!

Great job!

[max_13 128]

Replies:

iviaarten: Thanks! I couldn't find more buildings that made sense as exhibition halls, so I used these bland-looking ones. They're actually part of the WTC. I included an asset list in my last post.
Ln X: Good to hear, that's the kind of look I was going for.
tankmank: Thanks, I used all the buildings I had that could make some sense in an expo. Lots of rearranging was needed though
Ultimate727: Aww, thank you!

 

 

San Leandro

#6 Guns and Gravel

 

I briefly mentioned it last time: San Leandro now has quite the sizeable farming district, Royal Mills. It is situated close to the expo and has grown into a small settlement were people have too much time and too few distractions.

 

Overview

 

Reverse angle

 

Royal Mills is divided into small, family-owned mixed farms closer to the town were the owners usually live on or near their farms and larger, industrial farms. The rural highways acts as the border.

 

Farms of all shapes and sizes

 

A typical family-owned farm

 

Many farmers choose to grow different crops on their relatively small land

 

 

I love these windmills

 

Look at this guy making bank with his farms - time for a tax hike I guess

 

 

Mixing crops is also done on the larger fields

 

Green energy dominates the area

 

 

Royal Mills has cows and crops, but also a few people living there. The town itself is just as what you would expect. Lots of dust, booze and fast food.

 

The passenger train station

 

The local church and the town hall

 

View from the cargo terminal toward the passenger station

 

 

The northern part of town is even less well-kept than the area around the train station and town hall.

 

Saturated fats only

 

 

The highlight of this neighborhood: a dirty park

 

Welcome to the rest of your life, Little Jimmy

 

 

Close to Royal Mills is a forestry area.

 

 

 

The most remote bus stop. Good idea wearing a suit, must be some of the overeducated workers that can be found everywhere around here

 

 

The gas station I showed last time isn't surrounded by plain gras anymore.

 

 

 

I also bulldozed and rebuilt another interchange.

 

 

 

Alright, that's it for now. I don't think I've shown an aerial view yet, so here it is: San Leandro after this update. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

[89James89 1,169]

I seem to have missed a few entries here so sorry about that.

 

Loving the new farming area, gravel roads are my kind of roads lol. The new interchange also looks cool.

 

I especially love the airport and port a couple of entries ago and your use of the filler pieces convinced me to download them as well!

 

Looking forward to seeing more city growth!

 

Cheers

 

James

[Dazzyls 576]

B-E-autiful!

 

I like your style. It's very different from mine and I like it!

Those farms are just breathtaking!

[SimWarrior 10]

Great farming area, your city is really looking good!

[SimWarrior 10]

Great farming area, your city is really looking good!