Time of reconstruction - Part 2
A call for spiritual advice from The Businesspeople!
17 members have voted
Once Dollar Grove, Cashflow and Newfoundwealth started to function normally, a time for the reconstruction of Profit Hill has come. For the Businesspeople tribe, returning their capital to its former glory was a matter of patriotic pride and as such it was treated as one of the government's top priorities.
The top officials on both governmental and municipal level agreed that the shape and placement of the new downtown area, the capital's visiting card, is too important a task to be left to a handful of urban planners. This is why it was agreed to launch a contest in which architects, social groups, historians and business communities could put their own proposals forward for the new city center. In total, twenty-seven projects were submitted for the initial evaluation by the city hall. Although all of them had some interesting elements, only four were promoted to the final phase of the contest.
The majority of the Businesspeople demanded that the final choice be made by the Revered Spirits of the St'ropoli Dimension as many felt that asking for their opinion would be a chance to reconcile with divine tiers and erase the shame that weighed upon the tribe for its attempt at paving over one of the most important Sulkourbanist religious sites. It was also believed that this motion can improve intertribal relations, since many other tribes were unsure of the Businesspeople after their controversial actions that in some circles were considered as an apostasy...
This is why today you can have your say and decide which of the projects below should give the way to rebuild Profit Hill's CBD. Take your time to carefully read the details of each of the proposals that made it into the final pool and then cast your vote once you have your verdict ready. This time, it is possible to vote for more than one proposal so if you think that more than one option deserves recognition, you can reflect that in your vote.
Proposal #1
Submitted by: Profit Hill's Chamber of Commerce (business organization)
CBD moves to the Eastern part of the city, replacing existing residential areas. R1 highway is then expanded towards Southern edge of Profit Hill.
In this option, a large residential area which was damaged in the volcanic eruption is replaced with a long commercial strip. Most of the citizens living in the area were evacuated and resettled to Breadwinner Ponds and Dividend four years ago. Currently, only one-third of the pre-disaster population still lives in the remaining apartment blocks. In this concept, the R1 highway could also be expanded so that it runs through the middle of the new CBD and onwards.
Pros:
- Water, hydronics and power infrastructure already available (if somewhat damaged.)
- Pairing up commercial zones and a highway might provide excellent financial gains.
- The "CBD+R1" (as the project is also called) may be a gateway for tribe's further expansion South, where a couple of vacation towns are planned for the future.
- Proximity of a busy commercial area might provide a chance to revive the "Profit Hill Park" project (a park area on the Profit Hill's Eastern slope) which lingers on for two decades now, without a clear plan or landscaping concept...
Cons:
- The redevelopment involved in "CBD+R1" may erase the Eastern part of Small Business Society's shopping area. This is certain to increase the tensions between large companies and small, private entrepreneurs.
- Even tough the local area is largely depopulated, the project still involves resettlement of about 5100 citizens (for comparison, this is an approximate population size of Trigger Happy - home of Smileyface's Armacorp company.)
- Relatively high costs and complexity of the whole operation (resettlements, bulldozing large areas, rezoning, extensive roadwork.)
Proposal #2
Submitted by: "Urbi et Tribu" Student Science Society (academic organization)
CBD is scattered all over Profit Hill in many, small commercial "pockets".
The second proposal is quite unorthodox and recommends creation of numerous small commercial "pockets" that would together constitute Profit Hill's CBD, only not geographically continuous. The proposal promotes the idea of compact, high-density, skyscraper zones. Such urban plan, which relies on condensing development, would potentially free up a lot of space, making it possible to use it for recreational and community purposes later. In general, the idea draws heavily from Le Corbusier's "Plan Voisin".
Pros:
- Innovative approach.
- Creating compact, skyscraper, commercial zones frees up a lot of land that would otherwise have to be built over.
- Practically every part of the city will offer employment possibilities.
- Project encourages development of tram and subway lines to ensure connectivity between commercial areas.
Cons:
- Project does not take local economic factors into account. Some of the "mini-CBDs" may not receive enough customers to grow while others will be receiving the bulk of commercial traffic, leading to uneven development.
- Project will involve considerable redevelopment in numerous parts of Profit Hill, making it a logistically, financially and organizationally challenging undertaking.
- Significant risk of diluting the commercial demand due to so many commercial zones, which may be a hindrance in the creation of anticipated skyscrapers.
- Profit Hill's citizen organizations panned the project and pointed out that it disregards community opinions. Many claim that proposal #2 is a "reckless experiment by a bunch of uni guys who want to get good grades by the end of the semester".
Proposal #3
Submitted by: "Friends of Sirli Park" (community organization)
Back to where it was.
The third possibility on the table is to rebuild the Profit Hill's CBD in the exact same spot where it was before the disaster. It will of course involve significant terraforming and the removal of the volcanic cone that dominates the area but it is a viable option given the help that was offered by the Businesspeople's allies...
Pros:
- Availability of highly-advanced engineering equipment provided by the Smileyfaces. This opportunity makes removal of the volcanic cone absolutely possible.
- A proven and true solution which brought significant riches to the city before.
- The area is located exactly in the center of the city tile, which in most cases is arguably the best spot for a CBD.
- Sentimental value and a matter of pride for Profit Hill's inhabitants.
Cons:
- High costs of proposed terraforming, even with the use of Smileyface tools.
- Extensive damage to water pipes, wiring and other types of infrastructure has been reported in the area.
- Business community seems worried that a similar disaster may repeat in the future. These fears may badly influence investment dynamics in the area, at least for the first few years.
Proposal #4
Submitted by: "Together for Profit Hill" (community organization)
Co-working with the government.
The fourth and final option involves rebuilding the capital's CBD in a partially unused area in the Eastern part of the city and along one of the main avenues there. Just a few blocks away from the original downtown and close to the governmental buildings located in the local area.
Pros:
- Significant open area which is ready for development
- Proximity of important landmarks like the city hall, courthouse and sports stadium
- Decent transport infrastructure which involves two large avenues and a nearby tram line which can further be expanded
- Decent location which is relatively equidistant from all residential zones
- Relatively low costs involved
Cons:
- Close proximity to the businesses owned by the Small Business Society which may cause antagonisms between private companies and large corporations.
- Relatively low traffic volumes in the local area, which is bad for business. Prognosis are unclear whether it will pick up once CBD starts running.
- Proximity of low density housing which may cause either CBD or the residential zones to look out of place.
Now it is time for you to decide. What Profit Hill would you like to see in the future?
Comment replies:
@TogaMasterJohn - I have to say that I'm in love with these small, little gardens that you pointed out to in the last episode. 
They are simply terrific - they way they blend in parks, leisure or governmental areas is just stunning. There are some here too, in the fourth picture as you can see.
@Tamijo - Thanks Tamijo. 
-
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