cityspade

Originally posted by: DanWalker8 This is a friendly idea I came up with based of Astro1347's thread on Sim City and Charettes.quote> I was just about to start this EXACT SAME thread based on that EXACT SAME previous one. I always do say that all planners think alike... Hi-ya gang! I'm a planner too. Currently in the 5th year of a bachelor's at the University of Cincinnati. Its good to see I'm not the only one who plans both the real world and the sim world. Originally posted by: nofunk Ha ha... GIS may be an advantage, but it can also be a curse, especially when you work in it 8 hours a day like I do lol.quote> ...Oh man tell me about it. The worst is when you get confused and think you're playing SC when you're working in GIS. I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted looking for the route query button in my GIS toolbars... -Spade

Just to follow up on my last post... When I read about what you're trying to do, I immediately thought of this little online game made by the Lincoln Institute on Land Policy. It’s called "visualizing density" and it aims to educate people about the relationship between density and smart growth. I think you could very easily use Sim City to explain this topic, but SC would just be overkill to just use it for that one purpose. Instead, the Lincoln Institute made this great little game that's easy to play and easy to understand. But best of all, it only deals with the one particular planning issue they concern themselves with. You can find it here -> http://www.lincolninst.edu/subcenters/visualizing-density Also, I came across this Detroit Metro Times Article while I was looking for that last link. I didn't get a chance to look into the project, but it sounds almost exactly like what you're trying to do. Oh, and one last thing regarding funding; I thought I heard something about some sort of president guy from Washington that’s been running the country giving out free money to stimulate some kind of economy or something...

Hi Astro. I'm a planner too and an avid sim city player so I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts. First off, great idea but I'm going to have to second nofunk here; Sim City is not what your looking for. While it is just a game, its a fairly complex one at that. I think many of the lay-people you're trying to reach out to would be just as overwhelmed with this game as they are with your statistics and reports. I'm trying to picture baby-boomers/seniors playing SC4 and I just don't see it happening. However, this is a really, really great idea and I don't think you should abandon it. (I'm actually kind of jealous I didn't think of it). I've put a lot of thought into trying to figure out this very problem. The way I see it, the root of the problem has to do with communication. We planners have to convey relatively complex information to a large number of people that know little or nothing about our field. If you pursue this idea I would urge you to follow the golden rule: Keep It Simple. Like I said before, SC4 is not a simple game by any means. Especially if your talking about adding mods and custom content. My suggestion would be to have your own game developed for you. Have it custom tailored for San Diego and the specific planning issues you wish to address. Make it playable in a web browser so anyone may access it. Keep the game play short and simple so you can connect with as large a demographic as possible. Sure this wouldn't be free, but I think it would be more effective than trying to use SC4. But with the economy like it is, I'm sure it wouldn't be to hard to find a handful of unemployed software developers willing to do the job at a reasonable price (especially in your neck of the woods). Good luck with this! -Planner Carl

Hi all, Spade here. This is an awesome idea. I've been on simtrop for a couple years now but usually just lurk around the forms and tax the STEX. I've always wanted to do a CJ but I lack the time to maintain one. I'm glad you started this mrbisonm. Posting here should allow me to contribute my style without maintaining a CJ. Expect my first post this Friday(ish). Game On! P.S Where can I find the SC4MAPPER program?

Hi all A friend of mine just started playing SC4 and was telling me that he was rewarded with two larger city halls as his city grew. I have never unlocked these and I have been playing the game for more than three years now. He has the mac version with the separate rush hour expansion. I have the PC deluxe version with rush hour included. Are these city halls exclusive to the mac version or not included in the deluxe package? Thanks for your help.

GMT: There is a lot like that in Mambomumbas Walkpaths Set. However, I cant get the textures to show up for me when I use them. Let me know if it works for you.

Hi, Does anyone know where I can get jeronij's Diagonal Trail Parks in the white version? They don't seem to be on the STEX anymore for some reason. Is there somewhere else I can get them? also I'm still looking for some staircase lots I had a while ago. They weren't the ones for jeronij's walls but rather simple texture based lots that plop on hills. Thank you all!

Hi, I'm looking for a staircase lot I had a while ago. They were 1x1 texture based lots that could just be plopped onto a slope to make it look like a staircase. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Hello Simtropolites! I am in need of buildings that employ large amounts (800+) of CS$ workers. I found it very difficult to search the exchange for such BATs. Does anyone know of any buildings like this and if so could you point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance! -Spade

I used to run into this problem a lot. Now, I try to make a mental plan of how I want to develop the entire region before I even establish the first city. When building, I leave space set aside for transportation expansion. Example, one of my roads has a one tile space directly next to it. While the city is still small, I plan on that road becoming on of my major artierials. As the city grows, it will be simple to convert to avenue of highway. That said, this probably doesn't help your current predicament. Sometimes you just have to accept that buildings need to come down. Think like Robert Moses. Your city will probably take a small hit in the short run. After you better your transportation and redevelop however, it will be better in the long term.

You Europeans are blessed with good transit options! Here in Cincinnati, Ohio we have one option (if you can consider only one mode an 'option'): Behold! The Metro There is some talk going on about a streetcar(tram) loop for downtown, but as of now its just a lot of hot air.

The Queen City, Porkopolis, The Nasti... Cincinnati, Ohio

Urban streetcars (trolleys) have been a bit of a hot topic in the urban planning realm as of late. They are relatively inexpensive to install (compared to light rail) and can be incorperated into the existing urban fabric much more easily as they don't require an exclusive right of way. There's even a decent amount of interest here in Cincinnati for streetcars. But there may be even more exciting things on the near horizon. Shanghai has built a mag-lev line to it's airport and is planning to extend it. Some people here in the states have noticed: http://www.transrapid-usa.com http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_USA.gif http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_Pittsburgh.jpg http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_Baltimore-Washington.jpg http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_Atlanta-Chattanooga.jpg http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_Las-Vegas.gif http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_LAX-to-Ontario-Airport_2.jpg

The water I'm drinking tastes heavily chlorinated!!!