fieldsofdreams

Author's Note: this is my first time after a long hiatus creating a City Journal, and I believe that my new flagship CJ will become stronger, better, and more dynamic than ever before. I'm also looking at creating two more versions of this CJ, one for Skyscraper City (a condensed version), the other for my website (with extra back stories). Everything you'll see here reflects my building style and development, and it encompasses my core beliefs governing city planning, something I've been pursuing for the past four years. I've been playing SimCity 4 for nearly a decade now, and it has been a pleasure for me to continue playing it to a point that I've used it to help me guide myself to my chosen major, City and Regional Planning (also called Urban Studies and Planning). Hope you'll enjoy my new journal. A metropolis, for me, means multiple cities having thousands or millions of people crammed within a small land mass. A metropolis, also, could mean a collection of communities working together to build a common goal for a particular region that will help it become economically and socially successful. And Contra Costa, I believe, is an amalgamation of both definitions. So far, the region has three distinct cities. But, don't be fooled by the total regional population at this moment with all those communities combined: San Marcos (medium city tile, population: 312,000), home to the region's first university, Saint Mark's University. Mendoza (also medium city tile, currently the largest city by population at 737,000), currently the de-facto commercial hub for Contra Costa. Santa Maria (small city tile, currently the smallest of the three cities built thus far, with a population of 150,000), which has some unique features in it (only one school and college). Currently, the region is undergoing massive development, with three other cities on the rise: - Santa Clarita, which will host to the region's first rail and subway (metro) depot; - Santa Lucia, which will host to the region's main international gateway; and - San Gabriel, which might be on the running to become the region's powerhouse, with grand civic structures As you might notice, most of my cities have been named after saints, since Contra Costa was first established as a Spanish colony in the 1500s, and the conquistadores were driven out from the region in 1848, a year before the region was founded. Today, its namesake, Contra Costa County (in the San Francisco Bay Area), is far less dense than the Contra Costa I envisioned, but, that name gave me an inspiration to build a region completely my own. Yes, the road development may consist mostly of grids, but, as I've learned urban planning, the grid network provides a best opportunity for pedestrians to walk around, making their walk easy since the land surface is flat, many roads go through each of the cities, and the grid network allows easy access for emergency services to get to an incident. The region is currently served by: - 30 bus routes (shared among the three cities so far, with plans to develop even more over time), servicing over 300 bus stops - 14 subway (metro) lines, all of them linear in nature (totaling around 50 stops) - 2 major rail lines (both under further development) - 1 elevated freeway In the future, the region will develop: - Even more bus lines (including express, BRT, limited-stop, and intercity services) - At least five regular rail lines (with subway connections) - At least two high-speed rail lines (a proposal to upgrade the current Main Line operating between Mendoza and San Marcos to become HSR is underway) - Even more subway (metro) lines that will criss-cross the San Marcos-Mendoza Urban Community - A network of three international and regional airports to allow residents to choose where they want to fly - An elevated ring freeway to encircle the metropolis (this has been hotly-debated, though) - Citywide beautification projects that will address parking, accessibility, and transit options The infrastructure program can be very robust in nature, yet, the fun part is, all my RCI zones are growable. The only buildings that will be plopped include unique structures, civic buildings, transportation depots, and parks and open spaces. Here are a few more shots to start this journey: Looking forward to your thoughts as I will continue developing even more communities. And by the way, I'm looking at replying to your comments on a regular basis, if not after a week (depending on my workload).

Author's note: a more formal, straightforward description of my region can be viewed here. This page will be dedicated to the nitty-gritty of things, especially focused on each of the city's development, as well as before and after scenarios, and more in-depth discussions on the region's infrastructure and urban design. And also, this is the detailed version of what I have on my profile, including how I use CAMeLOTs in the process of building, and this will host some of the back stories for my cities. Metropolis. Oh yes, it may be bewildering for some people because it can mean many things, from millions of people living in cramped areas, to large urbanized plots of land, to determining its economic, political, and social importance to the rest of the country, if not the world. And Contra Costa is a region that can be proud to say that it is a fast-growing metropolis unto itself. It may not want to aspire to bring into the likes of Mexico City of Tokyo at the moment, but, don't let the city's populations fool you as I've managed to develop ways on how to bring in quite a lot of people in small amounts of space. First of all, let me introduce to you the city of San Marcos. A brief description below can give you an overall idea of what the city is (and this will be my pattern for the rest of the series): Population: 312,000 Commercial Jobs: 425,000 Industrial Jobs: 20,000 Tile Size: Medium Mayor: Joseph Greene (incumbent since 2010) Civic Amenities: Education: Elementary - 7, Middle Schools - 2, High Schools - 4, Colleges (including sub-campuses) - 5, Universities (including sub-campuses) - 1, Libraries - 8, Private Schools - 3, Museums - 3, Sports Facilities - 6 Police Stations: 6 Fire Stations: 4 Parks and Open Spaces: around 80, with varying sizes Infrastructure: Bus Lines: 20 (14 operate locally, 6 continue on to Mendoza) Subways: 7 lines, with 38 stations (4 of which continue on to Mendoza) Railways: 3 lines, with 5 rail stations Highways: no elevated or ground level highways; all surface streets Airports: San Marcos Regional Airport, the only one operational in the region Media Firms: Radio Stations: 4 FM, 2 AM Television Stations: 3 (2 of them shared under one roof) Some of the unique features in the city include: - The commercial and industrial job availability allows spillover from neighboring Mendoza (currently 737,000 people); - The region's first turbo roundabout; - The region's first university; - The region's first (and currently largest) cemetery; and - The region's first army base location (now demolished, moved to neighboring city to accommodate population, jobs growth). Perhaps a most interesting thing about San Marcos is, it is not the political center of the region; nor is Mendoza (it is the de facto commercial center at the moment). However, the city is home to a professional baseball team, the San Marcos Braves, and its stadium is located on the eastern edge of the city. Here are a few images from San Marcos to start, with more to come on the next update... Saint Mark's University, the university in San Marcos that allowed it to become a thriving college town. Before renovations: After renovations: The Obelisk, dedicated in memory of Contra Costa's fallen heroes. Central Business District, daytime Central Business District, nighttime San Marcos Cemetery Looking forward to having productive conversations and timely feedback with my fellow members.

The thing with me nowadays with my new laptop is, I want to really enjoy playing SimCity 4 to the fullest. I've been downloading all the needed dependencies, LOTs, and DATs needed to mount skyscrapers and shops (heck, I've even experimented with CAMeLOTs, with astonishing success!), and wonderfully enough, all my cities so far have been maturing as they should. However, there is this particular structure that keeps on bugging me: I've been researching here (on the STEX) and on other SC4 exchange websites about a particular residential building called the Marina Crown. but, it seems that it does not mention that there are other lot sizes available for that structure. I'll describe what I mean on the following images from my largest city so far: As expected, the file says everything (R$$$, 3,099 residents), but, it seems that with the lot size, it doesn't seem right that, my concern is, the file is "sliced" off with the neighboring city (which is currently empty), causing the structure to look blank. I've thought of a solution to destroy that lot and wait for another structure to be built there, but, I know that with growable structures, it takes quite a while for such zones to develop. I just wonder, though, if there are other possible causes to this problem, and if there are ways to solve this issue? I truly want my cities to be fully built over time, yet, my concern is with structures like Marina Crown being developed on incomplete lots (like, instead of 4x4, it develops on a 2x4 or 3x4, resulting in a big grassy lot with no structure to show) that could cause "unwanted empty spaces".

^^ Well, it has been resolved already by destroying that lot and building a museum on it instead so that no other structure can be built on it. And, luckily, that will not be my focus for my upcoming CJ because I know, if I show that issue, it can be a disappointment.

^^ I will definitely look into it. Thank you for your advice! As a compensation for the Marina Crown problem, I destroyed the structure and built something else in its place so that the "wasted space" problem can be addressed effectively. The results will be shown on my upcoming CJ.

^^ I understand. That's a main reason why I limit my ploppable structures to just Civic and Park lots since if I do it with residential and commercial lots, it could overwhelm a population that my city can run into R and C demand issues. Perhaps sending a message to the creator is a good idea, but, I wonder if there are other users who have encountered a similar issue as mine because that, for me, seems to be a "waste" of valuable space.

^^ Very good question as well. I wonder if the overrides play a role in that problem because I'm experimenting which light set I would use to represent my region. Yet, your image again shows what the prevailing problem is: all green signals, no reds.

I don't know if this has been brought up, but, I used the JPN Sidewalk Mods, and here's my comprehensive take on it: The good: the decors look really lovely, with the fenced sidewalks, realistic light poles, and wonderful plant renderings. Heck, most of the things I saw on the mod reminded me of my only visit to Tokyo (5 days' worth), but, I left with a great impression of how orderly, clean, punctual, and efficient Japan's infrastructure network is. I also love the overhanging directional signs that give motorists a heads-up of the next crossing, and I truly love the traffic signals that came with it that reminded me of the traffic lights on most Tokyo intersections. Now, my main concern: with traffic signals, it is imperative that the light goes red (meaning vehicles on one side will stop) while the other side gets the go or green light. However, inspecting closely at the traffic signals, especially on avenues, I notice that the light, for some reason, stays green (even though normally, the light goes red), and when I want to do a UDI mission, I ran into near collisions since I had no idea whether my side was "red" (stop) or "green" (go). An illustration of my concern can be seen below, in one of my cities (still being built in preparation for my CJ): My question is: is there a way for the traffic light to somehow show red so that drivers won't get confused as to whether my light is green or red? It seems to me that the light isn't functioning as it should. The props, though, are superb.

It's been a long while since I first joined here, and I've been a lurker since I've been downloading so much of the good stuff at the STEX. But, now, as I encounter the new NAM 32, I've been conducting a little experiment on how to build urban interchanges. At first, building the exit and entry ramps were pretty easy (yet spacing was difficult as I had to judge how much space will the curves need to place them right next to each other). And now, I've come to the most difficult part: joining the ramps with a road or avenue at the base of the on- and off-ramps to connect the highway with the rest of the street network. The area indicated in the yellow square illustrates the problem I'm facing at the moment: How best to deal with this issue, especially if I were to design an interchange like that, with either a road, one-way road, or an avenue right at the end of the ramp? Plus, is there any technique that you can share on how to eventually continue that ramp connection to and from either a roadway or an avenue? That way, I can truly create urban masterpieces that I'm slowly rebuilding as I last played SimCity years back... as for the buildings and other mods, I'm looking at doing it mostly vanilla for now, yet, I'll rebuild my presence here again with better structures along the way. Perhaps this could become a good jump-off point for an upcoming CJ too...

^^ Basically in this case, I'll replace the fillers with the starters... I'm still learning the ropes of it. Which of the menu options on the Highways menu (under the Mayor menu) shows the starter for the highway ramps? I've looked at each one of the options, yet I'm really confused. I've played SC4 for many years, only to discover how advanced NAM has become... luckily, I've swapped my laptop lately to continue playing the game since the old one has become slowpoke (after over seven years of use).

Meg: 72-year privacy restriction on individual data? That's pretty long for storage... where do they keep all of the data? Plus, the US Census takes place every 10 years, so technically, data does not change that much, true? Confused: Quoting from your message: I don't really think its intrusive in the least beat. Many of these questions are necessary for the enforcement of OTHER parts of the Constitution such as equal protection (making sure minorities are not systematically screwed over). You know full well that if there wasn't at least an attempt at a demographic count, reapportionment and funding could totally screw over the very people who need it. That's very true, especially that when you fill out a census form, you will not be reported to the police, ICE, or any law enforcement agency. It's just a mere statistical count of the number of people living in the country, so I think the Census is very helpful.

I have been aware of being with someone with Asperger's and ADD myself. It is a painful situation wherein he has to be scolded so many times just to be noticed, and he knows so many things (i.e. train schedules, bus schedules, airline routes) that he goes everywhere just to keep himself happy. At the same time, he also has internal struggles wherein he has a difficult time dealing with his parents, and he was being bullied in school because he was different. I really see my life through his lenses, and it is indeed a huge struggle for him to keep up. Thanks for the article, btw! It really inspires me more to work with my friend.

G'day! How's everyone here at ST? This is going to be my first and official City Journal, in which I believe I can learn a lot from here! Note: all the pictures you will be viewing come from SimCity played on my iPhone. Also, I have a copy of SimCity 4, but I haven't been playing it for a long time because I have been traveling a lot recently. As a compensation, I have been using the SimCity app on my iPhone to continue my SimCity works. The SimCity app for the iPhone ($3.99) is a stripped down version of SimCity 3000, which was my other favorite SC. In a world where cities grow complex and out of control, where communities consume tons of resources while letting down important social sectors like health and education, a new region rises from all the crises the world has been facing, and its mission is to become a developed economy where people enjoy the various freedoms of life. Introducing my region, named Alameda. A REGION BEGINS Alameda, with a population of 600,000, is comprised of an archipelago spreading over 750 islands located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, close to the coastlines of South Africa and Namibia. This is a region where beaches are flanked with industrial development, apartments are compacted with a myriad of businesses, and parks and natural attractions abound. It is comprised of 21 administrative districts, called provencales (French for provinces), and the region has gone through a series of wars and battles throughout history due to its location being in the middle of South America and Africa. A summary of the region's history include: 600 BC - believed that the first person inhabited Sant-Laurence Island in an area close to the capital, San Mateo. 142 BC - believed that the first port was set up in Sant-Laurence, allowing oceanic crossings for the first time. 250 AD - first trading post stationed at Sant-Laurence, allowing trade between the island and Africa. 423 AD - inhabitants discover 60 nearby deserted islands and started forming communities on the islands. 740 AD - the first recorded "tribal war" in Sant-Laurence; remnants probably used in the war are now being shown in the C.Y. Young Historical Museum in San Mateo. 893 AD - African insurgents posed as tradesmen attempts to attack Alameda, with 1/3 of the population killed in the process. 1100 AD - Bushmen from the central part of Africa migrate to Alameda seeking refuge from tribal wars. 1265 AD - Muslim traders arrive in Sant-Denise Island, proclaiming Islam to the region. 1497 AD - European traders arrive in Sant-Laurence, providing first contact to the Western world. 1520 AD - French soldiers march in what was then Utumbeke (now Dublin) town, conquering the entire Alameda region. 1742 AD - locals sent out to search for more land, as funded by the French colonial government, and surveyed 275 more islands that deem to be inhabitable. Also declared Sant-Mateu (now San Mateo) as capital. 1803 AD - disaster strikes at La Maison, now present-day Pleasanton, as an 8.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the area, with 140,000 people dead. 1850 AD - war strikes between Alamedans and the French, who have been ruling the region for more than three centuries, as a result of high taxation for exports. 1874 AD - Alameda declared independence from the French. 1921 - First Presidential election took place, with Harriet Pujadas being the winner. 1964 - a coup attempt foiled by the Alamedan government as insurgents were trying to set up a socialist government. 1992 - Alameda starts to venture in lowering trade tariffs and allowing more imports to the region as a result of the expanded Free Trade agreements with various nations. CITIES AND TOWNS Alameda has a lot of diverse, unique cities, in which those range from sleepy, suburban towns to industrialized, compact cities, and each one of them possess a distinct charm and character. So far, I have developed two cities, with five towns and cities underway, in which both of them present the compact cities I like doing, and I have worked on these for days, even when I travel around for school and play. The two cities I'm presenting represent a snapshot of the southern region of Alameda, being the urban part of the country. With the region being 82% urban and 18% rural (in terms of land use), the region plays a vital role in the south Trans-Atlantic trade between southern Africa and South America. The main crops of the region include maize, rice, citrus fruits, coconuts, and barley. The region also produces a small amount of wheat for local consumption. Without further delay, here are the two cities I've accomplished so far. City-by-city details will be provided in the next updates. Note: all pics have a resolution of 480x320. City of San Mateo, Alameda's capital (population: 105,872) City of Pleasanton, Alameda's largest city (population: 146,840) Even though the pics are small, you could see some of the features I have in there, including greenery, commercial and residential developments, and even factories and landfills.