mcwesty2000

[QUOTE]Date: 3/17/2005 6:34:11 AM Author: sloppet 'but when u speak of European cities I'm not sure what u mean by that. So can you please explain what u find so typical about European cities. Thanks' yes ofcourse i can xplain: EUROPEAN cities vere biult in middle ages when verey important was 'the main market Square' where you bould trade and it was located in the center of the city... later, for ages, european cities were growing and the center of the town was very important for the poeple ( ther were located many ... er landmarks and important institutions while the rest of the city was growing and for example the streets wer not build regularly (like in the american cities) just were built there where they had to be built to make it possible for poeple the access to buildings and to other parts of the  city...

- As far as building 'typical' European cities in Simcity go, I'm currently building a European city with a tightly packed medieval centre, broad avenues lined with elegant buildings and an ultra-modern high rise financial district. I'm also building a British city with an ugly concrete city centre strangled by a ringroad, narrow terraces of Victorian houses, and acres of suburban sprawl. The former plan is very typical of major European capitals, the latter very typical of small inland cities in Britain, but its very difficult to define a typical European city. There's a lot of variety in European city planning (or more commonly, lack of planning)

Date: 3/16/2005 3:49:15 PM Author: Apie Thanks for the advice ... but I think its very hard to built just an 'European City'. Especially because I think there is no such thing as an universal European city. If I look at the the cities you've mentioned I find that there are not many structural similiarities. Except for the fact that they are built on riverbanks, but you can hardly call rivers a typical European thing. Paris, for instance, is organized by monumental axes and I'm not sure about London but it seems to me that its growth has been somewhat unorganized. (I guess partly because of some German Bombers in WWII ) On the other hand, most American cities seem to me like they all use the same organizing principle: the grid. So for me its easier to understand how an American is layed out, but when u speak of European cities I'm not sure what u mean by that. So can you please explain what u find so typical about European cities. Thanks U wont find a typical European city layout. They all trace from different eras, and most are patchworkly built up such as London. Every country in Europe has its own planning system- the Netherlands have probably the most advanced in the world. Many of the major European cities were partially destroyed during WW2, such as London , Glasgow , Birmingham , Berlin , Warsaw etc etc.... (mostly former industrial cities with ship building and heavy industry.) Cities such as Paris and Amsterdam went unscaved as the countries they are in surrendered early into the 2nd world war. Other cities trace back further. Some even pre-dating Roman times, Prague , Edinburgh , Bath & London , Athens , Rome , Madrid and Barcelona , all of which have Medevil core elements to the cities-although all have similarities in density, architecture and some layouts. These cities have built up patchworkly from medevil, to georgian, to victorian to present day. (Edinburgh was known as the Athens of the North ) Since the start of the 20th Century planning in Europe has taken different forms (again)- with pioneers like Ebenezer Howard with his Garden Cities , Le Corbusier (French planner/architect) with the radiant cities and Frank Loydd Wright in the US pioneered the Broadacre city concept (Chicago and Los Angeles City Model of low density suburban sprawl). Also the Radburn town layout pioneered in the US was heavily integrated into many British towns and Cities-especially new towns such as Glenrothes , Livingston and Cumbernauld in Scotland. New Cities and Towns have also been built all over Europe and in the UK such as the named above as well as Stevenage , Harlow, Hemel Hempstead , Crawly , Peterbourgh, Washington and Milton Keynes (to name a few). Milton Keynes almost follows an American Grid Layout. These have been influenced by all the above named pioneers in planning. Hope this helps!

Ive just kept things nice and simple with this city. I like my parks to look as natural as possible and not man-made. Ive also added a small bridge crossing for pedestrians only (only for show as it doesnt work in the game). I tried to mimic the Highway bridge of Livingston in Scotland (see below) having the plain bridge soar over the river valley making as little visual impact as possible. Jeronij- I like your walled city!

Check out these links, they should help. http://www.waterscape.com/servicesdirectory/T/The_Falkirk_Wheel.html http://www.waterscape.com/waterwaysguide/regions/BCN.html'>http://www.waterscape.com/waterwaysguide/regions/BCN.html http://www.waterscape.com/waterwaysguide/

Sounds like quite a nice place, if I ever visit the US ill add it to one of the many places id like to see.

These are all buildings in my home town. I was just wondering if anyone could recreate them as BAT files to incorporate into the game? I think like some of the buildings on Screwballs thread, that they would look good in a smaller town or city. I can add more pics if needed. Fife House - Regional Administrative HQ (below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/PIZZA%20HUT%20&%20FIFE%20HOUSE.jpg width=1186 border=0> 60's Style High School (Below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/Glenrothes%20High%20School%2019681.jpg width=799 border=0> 60's style house (below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/60's%20style%20house.jpg width=794 border=0> Modern Split Level Housing (below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/Balbirnie%20Homes1.jpg width=799 border=0> Unusual 70's Style Terreced Housing (Below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/Collydean%20Housing.jpg width=799 border=0> Modern Bungalows (Below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/THE%20SECRET%20GARDEN.jpg width=1125 border=0> Police HQ (Below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/POLICE%20HQ1.jpg width=1016 border=0> Balbirnie House. Early 1800's Mansion House (Below) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/P1010023.jpg width=799 border=0>

No probs, can I suggest if you have purchased the book on the Scottish New towns then read the section on Cumbernauld. The towns design has gone very wrong and its good to read how it went so wrong.

Yes Bath's beautiful as well.

Thats actually really smart, I take it the land in the middle is private and the general public wouldnt have access to it? Below is another section of Edinburgh's New Town which would be easier for you to create as its pretty much all straight lines. You can see one of the cities cathedrals which looks similar to the ones in your example. Shame the game doesnt allow curves, u cant even have buildings running at diagnals like the roads, they make a funny staggered effect. Ive got a really good book on Amazon. Its called An Essay for Today, the Scottish New Towns. (Click below) http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1873190476/ref=sr_aps_books_1_2/202-0732337-9338252 Its got alot of the New Urbanism topics from the past 40-50 years., and covers all the pedestrian walkways I refered to earlier. But there are Really good Urban Designers Compendium you could get from the English Partnerships Website. (click below) http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/publications.htm I wrote to them telling them im a planning student at university and they sent me one for free.

Ye I know, but as i said before buildings have to face onto roads and this limits what u can do. It would be so much better if the buildings could face onto pedestrian zones, they seem to turn their backs on the walkways in the game. My example shows that walking to the school or the clinic is a shorter distance than going by car. In actual fact completely segragated public footpaths actually present problems in themselves. They become dangerous especially at night, and people sometimes use them as mopehead rally tracks!

Date:6/6/2004 8:08:21 PM Author:senekerk In this photo I mixed density as well as industry, residential and commericial. I used the Paris bldgs near the water sort of like some of the bldgs you all showed. More parks were added. I used a lot of pedestrian walkways, and small corner grocercies in ther next photo Opps pictures are out of order. This shows parks and beaches along the waterway, no bldgs. or house this is aprotected area. Now the next picture does show pedestrian walkways . Heres an example of a pedestrian walkway system ive been trying. The walkways lead from the housing, to the services like the school, clinic, and neighbourhood shopping centre.

Date:6/8/2004 8:33:35 AM Author:Morhavoc I know Edinburgh well, i used to come from there. It has some very historic and beautiful areas, the inner city area has very good MT using buses in an inner ring, but also in an outer ring to get to other parts of lothian that edinburgh has swallowed like many capitals. The bad areas like sighthill are on the outskirts which is probably why there are such problems there due to social exclusion and poverty. I like the way Edinburgh is planned out, but Glasgow is one of the forefront Scottish cities that is going under new smart urbanism and development. I like Glasgow with the way it is laid out in grid streets like an american city, and it's new waterfront areas. It still has the remnants of being an industrial city, but you can see that is slowly changing. Edinburgh though has nearly always been a financial capital and you hardly see any industrial there, in fact the Brewery which was situated right in the centre of the city has just closed down which was the last remaining Manufacturing industry in Edinburgh. I come fron Stirling, situated in the middle of both Glasgow and Edinburgh, we are actually now proclaimed a city lol i don't know why though with a population of around 80,000. quote> Ye your rite, Edinburgh sits on its laurels where as Glasgow is quicker to adapt to new changes and hasnt been afraid to try new things. Edinburghs more constrained as its centre has 2 World Heritage sites (Old and New Towns). Im from Glenrothes in Fife originally, as u prob know its a planned former New Town like East Kilbride, Livingston, Cumbernauld and Irvine. I was glad to see Stirling became a City. Its a really nice place with good shopping. I have friends that go2 uni there. The thing I dont like bout Glasgow is its major social and drug probs, and estates like Easter House! Plus Glasgow is currently the murder captial of Europe. GREAT for a night out tho!

Date:6/8/2004 6:09:58 AM Author:senekerk the sterotyping was in jest also. I am familiar w/ London's Picadilly Circus. Built in the 1700's. See I think that is part of the problem with america. We are a new nation compared to yours and the rest of Europe. We haven't used all our land/resources therefore we don't need to think about smart growth/new urbanism. In our arrogance we think our land will be there forever and we have a way of buldozing the countryside, sort of like the way we buldozed our way west giving no thought to the Native Americans or the land. Maybe a few hundred of years down the road we will realize we have no where else to go except redevelop our existing cities. I think I am going try to replicate Endinburgh's Circus with those Paris bldgs Oh by the way what do you wear under those kilts? quote> Ye i learned all about the american pioneer days in History at school, the wild west, the gold rush, the mormans, slavery and the cotton industries right through to the civil war. it was quite interesting, u have to feel sorry for those native americans tho! Ill leave it to your imagination whats under the kilts. Im thinking of wearing one in a few weeks actually at my 21st birthday party. Anyway bit off track here! Let me see how your circus works out for you itll be interesting to see! Heres more pics of Edinburgh if your interested?