Realistic US city - Kendrick (i think..)

[Infrastructurist 434]

Hi. 

Decided to try and put together a youtube series which will follow the development of a pretty generic US city - probably somewhere on the mid/southern US east coast.

If you're relatively new to the game and frustrated with the level of realism people here, on youtube and on reddit achieves, the series contain quite a few tips and my reasoning for different kinds of development strategies - as well as balancing between detailing and functionality. You'll not find me spend +10 minutes detailing a small area, instead i try to balance it out differently with just enough detailing to give a realistic vibe - but not enough detailing to let one single neighbourhood steal 10 fps from me

In the first part i built the downtown core of the city;

And in the second part i built a simple low income and crime ridden neighbourhood in close proximity to downtown;
 

 

[Matthias King 348]

Nice vids. Do you have an asset list on your YouTube page?

[Infrastructurist 434]

On 7/4/2017 at 10:25 PM, Matthias King said:

Nice vids. Do you have an asset list on your YouTube page?

No, not yet i am afraid!

[Infrastructurist 434]

I expand the city to the south, quickly creating 3 distinct neighbourhoods. Along the way i share some thoughts and techniques for achieving the look i seek. I treat this as more of a newbie-friendly tutorial to making good use of districts and themes, and so further editing on these areas are probably bound to happen. Especially Victoria Beach will receive an overhaul;

 

I had some time to fill in a few of the empty blocks in Kendrick's downtown area. Nothing special, except for an old tracksuit wearing man walking in thin air. Discontent with the state of american mass transit he took matters into his own hands; 

NOTE: I think the initial downtown block looked more sexy in it's first alteration, but hey, generic is beautiful. 

[Infrastructurist 434]

Westwards suburbia

 

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

"It's time to vote as city council, and help shape the future of the city of Kendrick and more specifically a large block on the outer edge of downtown where a few old buildings and a makeshift park currently resides! Let democracy (and a bit of corruption) do it's job!

As for expansion, we fill in most of the area north of downtown and south of the main northern highway. Different types of zoning and projects help make this an area with diversity and a bit of character. We finish with some cinematic shots of Kendrick which i think turned out pretty nice! 

EDIT; as "Adrian Duggan" suggested, i have added a card to the video which will also count your vote! I will of course still count in those who commented!"

 

[cmdp123789 710]

Its a big A for me.. Im interested to see such thing placed in there! I really enjoy these videos.. I usually watch them on youtube.. I didnt you had a forum here!! Now, are there any plans to do something like this but in a euro style? I know european cities are so varied depending on the country, but you know..

[Infrastructurist 434]

"The results are in and the fate of an almost empty block at the southern edge of downtown has been decided! 

As for expansion, our city still needs a lot of basic stuff, and a fitting port facility is one of them. 
So in this episode we build a port for Kendrick which in many ways reflect the current situation of the city. With the many challenges this area is facing and will be facing in the future - maybe it should all just be torn down to make way for flashy condos and organic-juice bars? But what if the investors show little interest? 

In the western part of the city, more simplistic suburbia is added - and much more needs to be added in the future."

 

[cmdp123789 710]

I liked this episode as well! Very nice port.. simple and well decorated.

[MisterBlueStar4 1,004]

Nice!I am building a city similar to this!

[Infrastructurist 434]

"As promised in the last episode, it was due time for some mass transit implementation. But first i wanted to greatly expand the city to the north.

Now, the bus system is not a recent addition, it has been operating for more than six decades. However, it is greatly underfunded and overall quite small, having just 4 current routes and a small vehicle fleet. 

More mass transit options will be presented in future episodes, and city council is likely to have a say in the process."
 

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

"Once again city council will have to decide the course of Kendrick, as a developer brings forth new plans - maybe initiated because of the staggering success of the newly completed residential towers?

But first we expand the city a good deal to the west, building an old commercial town center that was eventually annexed by Kendrick
as the city grew. We also place down the first of a group of awful public housing projects built by the city with federal assistance during the 1970's. Lastly, we give a major overhaul to almost all of Moore Park, thereby expanding the inner core of Kendrick."

 

 

 

[Turjan 1,048]

Nice series. LOL at the final adjustment .

[Infrastructurist 434]

On 26/4/2017 at 8:40 AM, Turjan said:

Nice series. LOL at the final adjustment .

Thank you Turjan
 

[Infrastructurist 434]

"Voting for episode 9 is over, and in this episode we take a look at the results! 

We redo the bridge (a frequent viewer request and something i've had in mind for some time) and put down an old Freight yard, before we briefly connect the city's freight rail route."
 

 

[MisterBlueStar4 1,004]

10 hours ago, Infrastructurist said:

"Voting for episode 9 is over, and in this episode we take a look at the results! 

We redo the bridge (a frequent viewer request and something i've had in mind for some time) and put down an old Freight yard, before we briefly connect the city's freight rail route."
 

 

I think we should both collaborate.Sorry if this sounds so demanding or stupid.

[TEBB_Dipsy 13]

Not only does it look beautiful but I really like the way you plan and then the videos of how you build it. I'm curious thou, what mod are you using which allows you to pick pieces of road and shift?

[Turjan 1,048]

I wish I could build cities like that, but I guess I don't have enough RAM for all that detailing. I also like to use the growable mechanics, which means my approach will always yield some different results. That city sure looks good though. Those tracks at the end of the train yard, which let trains turn around, are completely unrealistic though. No standard train can take turns like that.

 

9 hours ago, TEBB_Dipsy said:

I'm curious thou, what mod are you using which allows you to pick pieces of road and shift?

That's the Move It! mod. It's a complete game changer. Awesome tool.

[Infrastructurist 434]

"In a pretty unexpected move, a developer of high-end luxury condos has brought forth a plan to be reviewed by city council. And while the council initially was ecstatic at this news - the actual location of the proposed skyscraper has caused a bit of controversy.. What will they decide?

To continue pushing the scale of Kendrick to something akin to a real city, we put down the first part of a big eastward expansion, while also spending a bit of time installing a (so far) basic coal power plant."

Will be interesting to see how the people of simtropolis will affect the vote. There's a third voting option presented in the comments  
 

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

"The proposed luxury skyscraper caused a massive debate within the Kendrick city council and urban planning community, but today the developer returned with a slightly modified design and a pledge to invest in upgrading the admittedly run-down memorial park in which the building was originally planned. But there's a catch; the tower will become the city's tallest, and in a way thereby become it's new trademark skyscraper. But perhaps the now 25 years old maximum height zoning law made in honor of a important citizen - needs to be done with, if Kendrick is to transform into a true metropolis? 

As for expansion, we build a large suburban subdivision with an adjacent suburban mall.. And we finish up the episode with a very exciting rumour fresh from within the deeper echelons of the city council."
 

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

"New features? Marina, industrial expansion to start developing the other side of the bay (lot's of land!) & building a basic community college for Kendrick! We finish off with the implementation of the first stage of Kendrick's light rail system."

So yeah, i really enjoyed making this first stage of the light rail!
 

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

"Well our city is still alive, after 4-something hours of getting it to work after the Mass Transit DLC & free update.. Phew.. But pretty bummed that i had to spend that amount of time on just fixing it when i am buried in project work until June. 

Anyways, with the limited time we managed to build a national road leading up into the "mountains", and placing a small town nearby. We also add a few modern suburbs and a very typical suburban office park. 

And thanks to everyone who continues to write out suggestions!"
 

"Finally both major assignments has been handed in, and i find myself with some more spare time! In this episode we make a big push westwards before laying down the western extension of the light rail system - placing suburbs and office & shopping with it. 
We also build the media complex that you guys through voting decided where to place! 

Finally, i unveil my thoughts on the next city project i want to start, seeing as Kendrick has been further troubled with poor performance and error pop-ups since the update, and a breath of fresh air in the shape of very different city-planning is something i'm looking forward to! There's still more Kendrick episodes to come before any of that, though!"
 

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

"My most chill episode yet? Really enjoyed creating this, did a bit more syncing between visuals and audio as that was well received on my last episode, so i hope you guys like it! 

We start off with some simple expansion across the bay, before heading into three subscriber proposals; a prison, a museum complex and a hotel branch! 

In the next episode we have to find some solutions for the Port of Kendrick - hope you tune in!"

 

[simfanheatermayor 17]

What is the map you are using? "Aurora Borealis" ?

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

4 hours ago, simfanheatermayor said:

What is the map you are using? "Aurora Borealis" ?

 

Correct!  

[dedgren 830]

I've said in comments on other CJs that I'm just not a big fan of video presentation.  Videos can very well done and informative to watch, but it simply comes down to time- if I have 15 or 20 minutes out of a day to look at the ST CJ forums, I'd want to look at four or five CJs instead of tiring up all my time on a single author's video.  That said, your images that present the video titles look very well crafted and it is apparent you are putting a lot of time, effort and thought into Kendrick.  Might I ask for folks like me (I'm probably not the only one) that you would do a summary to date series of posts on your city's neighborhoods and important features that is based on screenies?  That would be very much appreciated, and I think would give you a different way to make your nice work here accessible to the largest number of folks.  Thanks in advance.

David

[Turjan 1,048]

@dedgren : I'm usually not a video watcher, either, but these videos are concise enough that they are fun to watch. It's pretty much the only C:S video series I have watched completely.

[dedgren 830]

8 minutes ago, Turjan said:

@dedgren : I'm usually not a video watcher, either, but these videos are concise enough that they are fun to watch. It's pretty much the only C:S video series I have watched completely.

Thanks for the tip, my friend.  Coming from you, I'll take that as a strong recommendation and plan to watch one and go from there.

David

[Infrastructurist 434]

"We have to make one of our last decisions that might very well shape the city forever, as a developer wishes to simply buy out much remaining port industry, demolish it and establish a new large scale development, changing the port's traditional role from manufacturing/industry to leisure. Is this a too aggressive dismissal of Kendrick's industrial roots or is it exactly what the city needs to fully embrace it's transition?

We also establish a new light-rail and highway route, leading to a regional airport. An airport has been frequently requested so it was due time, but i have just about no experience with such a task. Hilarity might ensue.. 8)"

 

 

[Infrastructurist 434]

13 hours ago, dedgren said:

I've said in comments on other CJs that I'm just not a big fan of video presentation.  Videos can very well done and informative to watch, but it simply comes down to time- if I have 15 or 20 minutes out of a day to look at the ST CJ forums, I'd want to look at four or five CJs instead of tiring up all my time on a single author's video.  That said, your images that present the video titles look very well crafted and it is apparent you are putting a lot of time, effort and thought into Kendrick.  Might I ask for folks like me (I'm probably not the only one) that you would do a summary to date series of posts on your city's neighborhoods and important features that is based on screenies?  That would be very much appreciated, and I think would give you a different way to make your nice work here accessible to the largest number of folks.  Thanks in advance.

David

Ah yes, the more classical approach does offer a more relaxed approach to following a city. It never really caught my attention though, and i am also pretty often pressed for time, so i doubt that is something i will be doing :-)