Early diplomacy
In today's episode you will have a chance to take the first look on New Udanani with the "VIP Texture Mod" terrain applied to it. I hope you like it!
If you missed the last SimCity: Tribalism episode, I would like to remind you that you still have some time left to vote on the rock texture that shall be used for the region. I encourage you to vote because two texture options are tied again! 
Your vote can be a decisive one! 
Don't make me flip the coin this time too! 
Today, we shall focus on selected bilateral relations that some of the Udananian tribes share. You will be given a chance to learn about new as well as already formed friendships (and "troubledships") across the land.
One of the most anticipated contacts of the recent times was made last year between the Businesspeople and the Simleyfaces tribes. If one rewinds a little bit to the past, they can see that both tribes share the feeling that they can be allies with a good amount of social and political interoperability.
The completion of the R-2 highway enabled the much anticipated physical contact to be made. The Smileyfaces treated this event seriously and sent a huge delegation of more than 20 officials to Profit Hill as soon as the highway opened - a record number for any foreign visit. The large showing allowed many workshops and discussions between the tribes to occur simultaneously in a short timeframe, which was welcomed by the Businesspeople since, as they say, "time is money"...
As diplomatic activities proceeded, it soon turned out that the positive feelings the Smileyfaces have towards the Businesspeople are mutual. The former were fascinated with Profit Hill's diverse, energetic commercial sectors and the happiness that money can (at least in this case) buy. In turn, the Businesspeople were inspired with their Eastern neighbor's positive and vivid society which they also acknowledged as a potentially lucrative customer, tourist and workforce base... The two tribes then agreed to establish a small, mutually-run town, some distance away from Profit Hill, to further test possible fields for cooperation.
The Businesspeople were especially happy due to the fact that they finally had a possibility to expel some of the industry out of their city... Former industrial areas, strategically placed next to one of the R-2 exits, were then quickly taken over by Small Business Society to create shops where, as the analysts claimed, the Smileyface visitors are likely to stop on their trips in the future.
The industry indeed found a new home in Breadwinner Valley. However, the Smileyfaces categorically (and in an intimidating manner to be honest...) announced that "transplanting" any sad-looking, dirty industry into the town is completely out of question. Only hi-tech and reasonably maintained factories were allowed to move in. This way, dirty industry has essentially been left with completely no hopes of developing in the extended local area without becoming a bone of contention between the two tribes.
In order to cement their relations, both tribes managing Breadwinner Valley also agreed to create a special economic zone and a hub where their knowledge could be shared. An area between two lakes laying within the city limits was designated to host this project and soon, experimental labs as well as an entire university campus came into existence. Ever since, the place offered a possibility to share and find interdisciplinary connections between the tribes' sciences and data, providing valuable insights to the students, researchers and economists.
Clever Businesspeople planning also allowed to build most of the commercial zones along the busiest roads available. This gave their new partners a practical example on how successful enterprises usually develop...
Thus, the Businesspeople - Smileyface cooperation started, allowing both communities to connect and network with each other and create a city that involves a mixture of whimsical joy and a solemn business attitude.
Friendly relations continue between the Gridlayers and the Slackers, after the latter rescued the Gridlayer castaways in the vicinity of Cape Careless. Two years ago, the tribes decided to set up a mutually run town halfway between their capitals in order to see whether their distinct philosophies can coexist in an urban landscape.
The Slackers were given control over one half of the town, located to the West of the city's main avenue while the Gridlayers retained control over the Eastern part. As you can clearly see, the traditional square-based neighborhoods are very different from the Slacker-held areas. Since the town's original settlers were predominantly Gridlayers, the Slackers were requested to follow certain rules regarding local development. Any non-standard city features like streets, fancy parks or pedmalls have been deemed "undesirable". Still enough, given the tribes' constructive relations, some innovations into the otherwise rigid urban model were tolerated nonetheless, creating a little more diverse landscaping in the town's Western part.
The Slackers' low job requirements made it quite easy to provide employment for the town's mixed society. A huge industrial zone located in the Northern part of Quigley Beach provides all non-commercial job opportunities needed for the local blue-collared workers.
The location of this zone happens to conform to another set of traditional Gridlayer rules - residential areas are separated from industrial sector with a buffer zone of commercial developments. A pattern which is well known from Port MacGavran-Wright too.
Despite their sociable nature and apparent luck in terms of diplomatic achievements, the Slackers do share a rather troubled relationship with the Residents. This contact, made just a few years ago, proves to be rather challenging and exhausting from the Resident's point of view.
The town of Dolittle, with it's low-cost but high pollution industry and the Slacker's relaxed approach to social norms continues to put the citizens of Bedroom on edge and anticipating neighborly problems to pile up and swell into uncontrollability.
There are indeed a few stressors present in the local area which complicate the situation. One of them is a steady expansion of the Slacker's new town with industrial sector making the greatest progress... Although it provides desirable jobs to the Residents (who would never consider introducing factories onto their own turf) it brings in potentially serious problems like pollution, noise and, as some put it, space for concealed organized crime hideouts!
Some of the Residents could not stand the uncertainty of this new situation and, rather than wait for the events to unfold, closed down their businesses and moved far away from Bedroom's Soutwestern edge... This, unfortunately, included farming estates of well-established plantator families, including the Flabimiris and Smi'taral. Both decided to wrap up their enterprises in the previously-held areas and move them to the Northern part of town - as far away from Dolittle as possible.
The local housing market has sustained some minor turbulence too as some of the most aristocratic inhabitants just moved the hell out from the Resident capital... The Slacker's sheer presence turned out to be the only condition necessary for many to look for happiness and peace somewhere else. All of these events caused a strong and rather unpleasant tension in the local area...
Last but not least, there is also the Altruists-Localvores pair. Despite the fact that both tribes made contact 18 years ago, Altruists still remain little more than their neighbor's garbage collectors, serving them with waste disposal services but receiving no further offers for intertribal cooperation...
There are only two other projects which continue to be mutually conducted by the tribes. One of them are the experimental farms in Middlefield. The other is a large forestation project which is meant to reduce the environmental impact of the Serene Thought's W2E incinerator. Here's how they advanced over the course of years.
The Altruists like to be helpful even when it brings them no tangible benefits. However, the tribe's top political circles have discussed possibilities to make some other contacts with the remaining tribes across New Udanani to seek for partners who are a bit more proactive and ready for cooperation. This is why, just like the Gridlayers, the Altruists have decided to launch a diplomatic mission along the coast of New Udanani, and establish diplomatic relations with any tribes that can be found along the way. Let's just hope that their mission does not end in a shipwreck too!
Comment replies:
@Honolulu - Thanks @Honolulu. I'm happy that you found my last entry informative and fun to read. Hmm! Interesting observation on the Caucasus bit - I appreciate your guess, you are a clever reader! 
To be honest, I like to consider New Udanani's location to be somewhat undetermined as it gives me more flexibility during writing. If I were to put it down on the map, it would probably be somewhere in Southern Europe or a broadly-understood Mediterranean basin. Oh, and this would still be on some alternate reality map! 
@TogaMasterJohn - Thank you. I'm glad you liked the (hi)story.
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