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Originally posted by: patriots_1228 offtopic-why name it la defense? is it were they keep the cannons that point at the city? (boston/revolutionary war joke <<quote> The area exists around a road set down by Henri IV in 1599 heading in a straight line northwest from the Louvre, creating Paris's Axe historique. That road has become the real central avenue of Paris (it is the Champs d'Elysee east of the Arch de la Triumph, and the A-14 running underneath La Defense). The western end of this historic road was extended in the mid-19th century, ending in a round-about where a statue, La Defense de Paris, was built in the 1880s to commemorate the brave Frenchmen who defended Paris from the Germans during France's epically disasterous performance during the Franco-Prussian War. The developing area around the round-about adopted the name of the statue, "La Defense." And there you go.

The glass with neo-classical masonry is really neat.

The hardest part about non-grid cities is the traffic. Connecting one ity-bitty, out-of-the-way street to another street totally off your main strip will suddenly cause a total traffic flow redirection. And its even more difficult to update your transit systems later on. That said, I try to only grid certain sections of a city (higher density commercial, for instance), but if I do mainly grid cities, I try to create grid variants. I will build one grid, then 5 others elsewhere in the town. They don't align... and therein lies the fun. Keeps a simple grid, but causes a lot of nice variation to get the grids to sync up properly.

I actually like landfills. But I'm obsessed with urban renewal in my cities. I purposefully build slummy, crime-ridden, run-down, disorganized, industrial cities in order to clean them up later. They look so much better when built, and then re-built than pre-planned park-filled, perfect avenue cities that have no problems (which I get too bored with to bother building). Landfills are apart of that urban renewal. I know in Albuquerque, NM, the vast majority of the Northeast Heights were built on the former city landfill (by the way, its the second wealthiest place in the city now, only 20 years after the landfill recovery... and probably the most pleasant!) I try to do the same thing. I build one landfill out in "no-where" (where I know the city will grow to eventually, but I figure city councils at the time of construction don't plan on it... I often do things based on if a city council, mired by bought-out politicos and poor future planning, were doing it), and once the city's suburbs start to graze the area, I start trying to recover the land by placing new landfills next-door, or more remote places of the city's tile, convert the garbage to energy, anything to try and recover the landfill's property. I like tasks like that, and I set myself up for them.

San Francisco. Do I really need to describe why its architectural style is so great?

Originally posted by: josefmayorSanta Fe must have some beautiful weather to have an out door type auditorium.Tampa couldn't have that because of the humidty and heat. BUt that is an increadible design.quote> Yeah, the whole middle of the high desert thing helps. But Santa Fe does get really nasty weather during the winter. Luckily, the theatre is closed during the winter (we have a smaller one in the core of the city called The Linsic. It was the city's first motion picture theatre, but it was refurbished in 1998). Everything is protected from water damage at the Opera, because snow could really do a number on that thing.

I think it has more to do with the social dynamic of a building rather than its climate or country of origin. Apartment complexes will inevitably have balconies because people feel enclosed when they live on top of each other like that. The balcony would provide a much-needed place to breathe. The lower levels of those buildings in the Netherlands have recently been gutted to make way for garages, or so it appears in that picture. Those were probably shops originally, and the families who owned and opperated them lived above the shop. Unrelated people probably didn't live in the same building (I have a feeling those displayed were rather affluent for the time of their construction), so the feeling of being packed in with strangers wouldn't have happened. And if it did, in place of a balcony, we see wide, floor-to-ceiling windows providing the same "ability to breathe" feeling. Finally, if that doesn't make sense, balconies are preferrably private, and would be better suited on the backside of a building (like they are in NYC's 19th century townhouses, and where some very well might be on those Dutch buildings. I'm not an expert on 18th century Frisian architecture, but if you try to imagine balconies on the front of those buildings, they become a little odd looking.) That backside luxury is something modern apartment complexes don't have, as apartment units do not run the length of the building.

The Santa Fe Opera's Crosby Theatre. The site was chosen in 1957 when John Crosby and a friend found the perfect acoustic setting on a Mesa outside Santa Fe by firing a riffle into the air and listening for the echo off the mountains. It was (and I think still is) the only outdoor Opera theatre in America. The original theatre was simply a stage and some benches. This newest one was constructed in 1997. It remains open-aired on both sides - and at the back of the stage - to keep the scenery and acoustics of the surrounding mountains. But it has a nice roof to keep patrons and performers dry. It faces west so that evening performances have the sunset as their background.

I'm with Hamster... I mean, a monotone block isn't impressive in and of itself, but that thing it will become is pretty bland. Remember, the best part about those glass-encased skyscrapers is that they reflect the city around them. If everything else is glass, as apparently all the referubished La Defense buildings are, there's nothing to reflect.

Budapest?

Originally posted by: Odainsaker The Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside Consolidate Metropolitan Statistical Area (a combination of several closely linked metropolitan areas) stretches all the way across southern California, covering almost a quarter of the state of California and reaching from the western coastline to the borders of Nevada and New Mexico, but there is a lot of empty land, mountain ranges, and desert in there.quote> That would be quite the feat, considering the State of Arizona is between California and New Mexico.

For a more modern, still Communist look at urbanism, may I suggest Pyongyang? It's known for having lots, and lots, and lots of wide, wide avenues which, as you probably already know, are completely devoid of traffic (there isn't one traffic light in Pyongyang). Also, I think pedestrian traffic concentrates around the smaller streets, ironically. Differences from Communist Bloc European Countries: -The city actually took a Communistic approach to skyscrapers, something no other city has done. They build tall, symetric, aesthetic buildings - their taller ones tend to be hotels to showcase for foreigners. Like the avenues, these things are empty. -Their high rises also seem to have odd shapes. I notice a common one is having a sort of buldge on the side of it. I think it's to escape purely square buildings by providing some difference, if only minor. -Their highrises vary in height. Only the pre-1970 construction has block after block of the same highrise. -The earthtones of Europe are not popular with post-1970 construction. Most buildings after that are painted egg shell white or some pastel pink, blue or green. -More important civic buildings emulate their purpose, or try to stress history. The Pyongyang Library is very 18th Century Korean, but I believe it was built in the 1980s. Their stadiums (most built for Olympics that will never, ever be held there ) are all grandiose, built to look like whatever sport they would hold (a dumbell for weighlifting). -Lots of unfinished construction. The tallest building in Pyongyang, a giant pyramid-shaped skyscraper is currently under construction. It will be the tallest hotel in the world when completed (100-some stories, if memory serves)... but, it's been "under construction" since 1991, and since 199-something, no work has been done. There's a big crane that's been hanging off of it for over a deacde, completely still. No glass has been fitted in the windows, and only 90% of the skeleton superstructure is complete. -One, and only one, commercial district (along the second largest of their extra-large avenues) that has big, brick-looking buildings that house Department Stores, Theatres, and some other stuff. -Trees. Lining. Everything. -Big, BIG, factories randomly placed in the middle of things. -Scenic monuments that stress tranquility and symetry. While the city tries to play with flora and fauna everywhere else, the monuments are devoid of them, to stress the great achievements of North Korean urbanization, that you are supposed to be able to see all around you. I think. -No Suburbs, but no simple utilitarian design. The city built around it's geography, and tries to bend to it more often than not. Sim City 4 plays up Capitalism, so I don't see how you can really have a Communist city in the game, but you can try for one that looks a lot like it. Not to delve into politics, but the idea that Communist cities are meant to be utopian is... foolish. I don't think even the most ideallic Communist Urban planners thought they were creating Utopias. Communist cities were designed for simplistic purposes: Simplicity, conformity, comfort, utility, ease of movement, population/workfroce containment, and ease of control. Essentially, most were built - either intentionally or unintentionally - in order to treat people like cattle. Pools for the State's economy. Not utopia.

Looks depressing...

Looks depressing...

Looks depressing...

I never have the patience to sculpt farms so articulately...

Summary: Ensure that the area you want to be your "downtown" acts as a hub for the city from the very start. Lay it out from the beginning so that Residents are forced to travel through it to their industrial jobs, thus promoting the commerce and centralizing it. As your city/region grows, commercial demand will rise if you provide enough civic services to your residents. Don't overbuild! Only build small bits of Commercial lots untill the demand for Commerce levels out. Keep a design in mind that will ensure the area remains the hub, but if you overbuild it wont work. Larger guidelines: Personally, I always start with a concentrated scheme like this. Industrial park over here on the east side, Residential lots over here on the west, lots of farms around. In the middle, on the only road where they can travel betwix, I only put a couple 3x3 Commercial lots on that one road (planning out for eventual 6x6 commercial blocks). I do not plan for Avenues or such, since I enjoy the challenge of redeveloping (it provides such a nice problem later on trying to reconfigure the area, avoiding destroying the older building. It also adds a quirk to the city, quirks real life cities have that yours wont if you plan out for avenues). As traffic increases, I start expanding down the street (keeping in mind my block scheme, but not building the blocks just yet. This helps the early Commercial Service stuff a ton, since they need customers to thrive, and busy commuters don't like inconveniant, out of the way retail. Once demand for CS$$$ starts moving up (as my Residential areas become middle class), then I know it is starting. I can then build the blocks I had been planning in my head, because now commuters wont be going exclusively to the Industrial districts, a good deal will actually be commuting to commercial jobs. Thus, they don't all need to be concentrated on the one road, but can branch out and breath. This continues, and I expand as commercial demand needs it. Remember to keep it centralized, continue to force your industrial commuters to go through this district (or it will faulter!). Any mass transit systems MUST be concentrated, and proliferated here (at least at first, later on you can create bypasses, but only after high rises begin to form). Rezone for Medium Density Commerce once CS$$$ is in very high demand. Then rezone select, wealthier parts of the district for High Density once Commercial Office (either kind) becomes a significant demand. Every block you build, keep in mind any civic buildings to increase the desireability of the area. Once your region (or city) goes over 100,000 you should have already started to see a good deal of high rises around 10-20 stories concentrated around your busiest roads here. Now, here or a little bit before, you can redevelop (like I was saying earlier) as you see fit to accomidate the commuter activity. As the businesses should no longer be reliant on industrial commuter traffic, you can start thinking out a highway system to lock in and bypass the "downtown", or do whatever you think is necessary to keep the city's traffic running smoothly. Now you just got to stay vigilant, and keep building. Eventually you'll see a very, very tall building. And thus your quest has been completed, within a short period of time, if you keep on building for more residents, the area should be swamped with them. Final Note: Remember that grids are not the end-all, be-all of Downtowns. My favorite Downtown I created with triangular looking blocks. I did so because it molded to the important commuter routes around it, which formed a triangle. It was very neat looking, with a few dozen skyscrapers concentrated in a couple blocks, and surrounded by eclectic looking buildings trying to work between the odd road pattern (with irregular blocks, it caused little 1x1 left-over pieces, where only much smaller high rises could fit). The loveliest skyline I've ever seen in one of my cities. Another neat downtown I had was more like Washington DC, with a landmark at the center, and roads originating out from it in a star shape. Of course, that downtown couldn't work with my usual "concentrate" commuter strategy, and it was very spread about, so it eventually looked like DC: with lots and lots of 5 story buildings, but no high rises . But it was a nice downtown none-the-less. Just be creative, and keep the geographic and aesthetic charactaristics in mind.

Originally posted by: Leishtek Obviously, the first step is terraforming and making sure there are an overabundance of trees. When I finally start my city, I lay out some roads; Roads ONLY. Basically I will run roads from the edges of the map into each other, making sure to put plenty of diagonal and curvy roads. Sometimes there will be circle or 'block' somewhere, depending on how much room I'm working with. If I don't do this, I find myself falling into a horrible grid looking city. ;-; The roads I have lain out are my main traffic arteries for now, so commercial usually gets zone along them. I make neighborhoods and subdivisions of low-density housing with streets that are attached to the main roads (very rarely will I ever put residential, or especially industrial, on the main roadways). Industial is often located on branches outside of the main roads (making sure residential has to go through commercial before it gets to industrial). I can pretty much consider myself a master when it comes to controlling traffic flow and the amount that runs on the main roads by the commercial zones. At these beginning stages, I zone lightly, and sporatically, making sure to leave many patches of trees in between my zones, especially in commercial since you don't need very many at this point. As the city grows, I start zoning for medium density in the older sections of the city, and filling in some of the green spots. For residential, I usually branch secondary roads off of the main roads (since streets obviously can't handle medium-density). At this point, traffic usually becomes a problem, so upgrading my main roads to avenues is my next goal. The problem is, since I had previously used roads, all of my commerical buildings are right on top of them, and you can't simply change a road into an avenue without some destruction. This is where things start looking really natural, because I try my hardest to destroy as little buildings as possible. A lot of times I'll have to choose between two building to destroy and I'll go with the smaller one, but I can usually weave in and out of the buildings. Sometimes I have to split and avenue into two one-ways so nothing gets destroyed. I'm sure you get the picture now. Later comes a public transport system. The problem I have with this is that I tend to do it to every city, so most of them come out looking similar. >>; While not nearly as bad as a grid-city, I'm still trying to explore new methods of shaking things up even more.quote> Down to every last detail, ditto. Though, I tend to avoid the destruction issue by setting up a complicated monorail system over my existing central roads. Also, I fill in everything just beyond the limits of the existing city with farms (of all different sizes and shapes), then redvelop those farms as necessary, not disturbing the streets laid out to connect the farms. Thus creating a very confusing, very realistic looking hodgepodge that is not a grid at all. I hate grids...

New Mexico has this quirky habbit of dying the concrete in our overpasses and noise barries with Southwestern colors, patterns, and images. It's a cultural thing. Turqois trim on I-25/I-140 Interchange (The "Big I" locally) in Albuquerque: They even dye the little metal thing holding the road signs up: New overpass near Las Cruces. This is VERY common, and they get ridiculously decorative up by Santa Fe. In fact the only place this is not the norm is Albuquerque (which has started, as you can see in the above picture): Most our highways try desperately to avoid cities (oddly enough), particularly in the northern part of the State. Santa Fe is the epitome of this, as it forced Interstate 25 to stay several miles south of the city when the route was planned. Originally, they thought of running it up north, through the city, basically following Highway 285. But Santa Fe would have none of that. The city has grown south to meet the interstate, but they've made a neat effort of making the Interstate as inconspicious as possible. You drive up and you would think you're in the middle of a Pinon forest, not anywhere near a city. Then you pass over a couple of arterial roads, see a few condos hidden away, and you start to wonder. Forgiving their primitive nature, New Mexico's highways at least have a view... You may have noticed that, in all of the above pictures, the highways are almost entirely devoid of traffic. New Mexico does not suffer from much congestion, except in the Albuquerque area around 5 PM. To highlight the fact that our highways are very basic, and cut through rural places almost exclusively, I provide you with this picture: Yes, there are still driveway entrances on Interstate 40 in New Mexico. The Interstate was built directly on top of Route 66 in this State, and in these instances, the road is still the only way to access many ranches and farms. By the way, it's VERY SCARY to slow down from 75 in order turn onto dirt. Do not attempt.