Starter Towns - Part III
The tour around Udanani continues with a visit to The Residents' and The Businesspeople's starter towns. Is there any common ground between these two tribes? Best to see for yourself.
______
"Home is where the heart is - join The Residents"
Four walls and a roof is an important thing to have these days. But for The Residents, not just any walls or any roof will do. Bedroom is a town of good taste and comfort. Impressive, well-maintained and (if possible) expensive homes are a common sight here.
Other homes in Bedroom, while not just as luxurious as the villas above, are very nice as well. Medium-wealth housing, pleasing to the eye, is abundant in this town.
Some pockets of medium-density apartments are present in Bedroom as well, hidden further to the north. They don't really stand out and neither are they to last...
The Residents prioritize single-family housing in their town but it is a challenge at times. The high-wealth and mid-wealth citizens who care about quality of their homes are picky and unlikely to settle in until several key requirements are met.
Adequate employment is one of such requirements. This is why The Residents offer attractive jobs to potential upper-class citizens. Employment can be found either in this commercial park right here...
...or in agriculture at the nearby farms...
Bedroom is one of the smallest and slowest developing towns in Udanani, but it also has a potential of becoming one of the prettiest and most orderly. Second only to The Altruists' starter town of Wellbeing.
What does the future hold?
The Residents wish to fill their entire city with villas and single-family housing so that Bedroom becomes an elitist living space.
The Residents invest in some eye-pleasing surroundings to make their city more appealing to potential developers. Some small parks have already started to spring up here and there, increasing the overall land value - a thing The Residents are after as well. However, more ambitious "green" projects are already being reviewed by the City Council as well.
The Residents will also attempt to redevelop and completely remove the low-wealth residential projects in the northern part of the town. Selfish as it sounds, cheap housing simply doesn't go well with their town's vision.
What is more, Bedroom citizens have some kind of phobia against industry - any type of it, except for agriculture.
The Residents are aware of the fact that commerce, services and agriculture simply don't generate as many jobs as a single industrial area could. However, they just can't stand a thought of allowing the industry into their luxury-home paradise!
"Join The Businesspeople and reap the profits of your work"
Located in the very heart of Udanani is The Businesspeople's town Profit Hill. It revolves around commerce and money.
The town enjoys a good business climate and highly desirable land which is appropriate for entrepreneurs as well as small businesses. People who want to improve their lives or establish companies, flock to Profit Hill hoping to exploit the possibilities of the free market.
Profit Hill boasts an interesting central commercial district, which has a rich mix of all types of business developments. Most of them are located along the town's main avenue named... hm... "Main Avenue". 
Smaller, service-based sector is located north of the main business district and closer to the residential areas.
Speaking of which, the residential areas are just as important to The Businesspeople as the companies and corporations are.
The Businesspeople understand that even the most visionary business cannot really take wings without employees - people who dedicate their time and health to do the work that CEOs would rather refrain from doing!
This is why The Businesspeople do their best to provide adequate housing and living conditions to their workers and customers. One residential zone is located north and away from the downtown...
...while another is located right next to the town center and a green park. An area built in a truly Manhattan-esque fashion. It is a new neighborhood, so it isn't fully completed yet.
Police protection is especially important in Profit Hill, because crime hurts both citizens and shops alike. Generally speaking, the residential population receives all services and amenities... that Profit Hill can afford.
While The Businesspeople understand the need to keep their employees in good shape, they also understand how serious a continuous loss in the monthly budget can be. The Businesspeople try to balance the budget to keep their citizens happy and the city budget afloat. This is probably one of the major differences between them and The Altruists...
A good example of such balance is the high school + hospital complex in Profit Hill. Again, The Businesspeople manage to adequately fund these services while still making sure that the city budget enjoys a positive cash flow.
But there is also one problem area in Profit Hill that The Businesspeople aren't quite ready to resolve yet. The positive entrepreneurial atmosphere has given rise to several industrial areas apart from the commerce. Currently, there are two such zones in Profit Hill.
The Businesspeople tolerate industry but are not especially fond of it either. The industrial areas in Profit Hill have been developed in the early years of the town's existence and out of pure necessity. Nowadays, they don't go quite well with The Businesspeople's vision of glass and concrete skyscraper town but they sure count as some form of business activity...
What does the future hold?
Not unlike The Activators, The Businesspeople wish to cover the entire area of their city with development. But not just any type of development.
Profit Hill will be carefully planned from now on as to avoid eyesores and unconventional urban solutions. Commercial zones will be prioritized and supported by qualified police forces.
Meanwhile, the shop patronage will be increased through constant improvements in the road infrastructure. Some communication routes will be favored over others to ensure that the shops and offices have maximum numbers of potential customers. Commercial interests will naturally be supported by new residential development. The density of these residential projects will also be gradually increased, pending the employment opportunities present in the town.
The problematic question of industry will be addressed as well. It is yet to be decided whether it is still needed or not but if it is, it will probably be condensed to a single part of the town, or reduced to clean industries like hi-tech establishments or sustainable manufacturing houses.
To be continued...
-
6
-
1
3 Comments
Recommended Comments
Sign In or register to comment...
To comment in reply, you must be a community member
Sign In
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowCreate an Account
Sign up to join our friendly community. It's easy!
Register a New Account