Ten points for the ultimate realistic city creation (SC3)

Contributor/author(s): Kamikaze

I've always thought there wasn't enough detail in any submissions on how to make cities realistic. So here's my more advanced version:

1. Don't use fusion or microwave power. Preferably use a fossil fuel plant. And preferably place it outside the main city and connect to the city with power lines; this is realistic, at least in the UK where I live.
2. Place at least one airport outside the main city, and also away from the power plant. London's airports, for instance, are in places as distant as Luton, Bishop's Stortford (Stansted) and Crawley (Gatwick). And there's another thing. Big airports in small cities are fairly realistic - just pretend they're linked to the big city that happens to be your neighbor.
3. Use the building plop cheat (see Underground). It's the only way to ensure maximum realism. And this is shown in the next tip.
4. Make sure all skyscrapers in your downtown are different (except, of course, twin towers - I find Arbor Plaza is good in pairs). Unless you're planning quite a big city avoid using skyscrapers. Add a big park, the odd gas station and multi-story car parks too. And make sure you also have a shopping area downtown too - I like creating a bunch of Bradbury Buildings next to each other for this - you don't want roads between them because it ruins the "pedestrianised area" look.
5. Most cities have traffic problems. Even my home town of 75,000 has them. So does the next town, with only 15,000 people! How do you create traffic jams while still having mass transit, as in real cities? In a word, "funding". Under-fund your transport system and things will be chaotic - enter the queues!
6. Create a highway as a "ring road" around the downtown. Use the dog eared junctions for main highways out of the city. Don't have any highways in the downtown.
7. Immediately surrounding the highway is your inner city. Fill this with five things: abandoned industrial buildings, abandoned 2x2 residential, polluting industry, high rise flats (preferably slummy ones like Hope Towers and Project Feelgood) and abandoned high rise flats. You could also add piles of rubbish here - some inner cities have large areas of derelict land that are used as rubbish tips. This is also a great place for your jails and landfills. But do add clean industry along the highways.
8. Then you get into suburbia. Light residential should dominate this next section, except close to highways where clean industry should be located. Use the same 1x1 tile for each street and try to have several nearby streets with the same tile. Recommended are Squat Street, Elem Station and High Street. Also make sure the house faces on to the road. Add the odd gas station, parking area, playground, park, and also some suburban shopping - try Corner Grocer (which should have parking by it), Ben's Diner and MicroShops.
9. Edge-of-city housing should vary - add some high-rise (I recommend the Stoic Arms Apartments and Comfort Towers for this area), also mid-rise buildings like Goodplace Arms. Increase the amount of open space. Other things remain the same. A GigaMall should be placed here, close to a highway junction. Also keep the clean industry along the highways.
10. Schools should be located in residential areas, as should colleges and libraries. Museums should be on the edge of downtown, just inside the highway.

See also
Making realistic cities
More realistic city tips
Make a realistic prison
Realistic thoughts on power plants
A realistic city grid