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In times of uncertainty, big cities can provide populations with a sense of enhanced security, belonging and safety from perceived or real dangers. As turmoil around The Sacred Pond of Forces continues, some of the New Udananian tribes - Altruists, Gridlayers and Slackers - ramp up their efforts to develop their largest population centers and provide safe environment for their citizens. Today, you can review the expansion that these cities have undergone. The tour begins in the Northeastern city of Optimism - so far the largest Altruist city. In the past few months, local authorities tried to address some of the city's most urgent problems to make it more resilient in the future. One of the issues improved was accessibility to green infrastructure. The ambitious Altruist plans for a large, populous city resulted in construction of many new buildings but left few natural spaces - something that directly contradicts the tribe's principles! This problem was solved with the removal of some buildings, increase of the residential densities and the creation of many "microparks" and artificially forested zones. The authorities also try to alleviate one of the young city's most burning issues which is unemployment. Although the job situation is not too dramatic, new industrial and commercial areas were added to the cityscape to appease new citizens looking for jobs. A lot of money is needed to further expand the city but most of the funds have already been consumed for the present needs. However, road infrastructure was put in place in the area where the city is expected to develop, offering a look into how Optimism may grow in the future. There are also plans to build a large seaport on the Southern coast, complete with a fitting rail terminal. Some empty gaps between Optimism's industrial zone are specifically reserved for this future infrastructure. Regardless of the efforts taken inside the city, economists agree that Optimism cannot exist on its own, separated from other towns. This is why the tribe would like to ask the Revered Spirits of the St'ropoli Dimension about the best way to connect the city to the rest of the Altruist lands. See the poll at the top of the page to review possible voting options. Meanwhile, far away to the West, the Gridlayer-Slacker city of Quigley Beach is doing quite well. The combined experience of the two tribes who own it, allows for smooth and accurate management. It is economically stable with monthly income standing at around §300. Contrary to Optimism, the city does not currently invest in adjustments and problem-solving but simply builds out. This is visible in the continuing expansion of the city's industrial base. The ever-growing industrial area is located not far from the Eastern coast. According to the traditional, Gridlayer concept of the city, the zone is isolated from the rest of the town through the buffer of (equally dynamic) commercial area which may become a CBD one day. Communication needs in the growing city are, at least for now, satisfied through the use of rail and bus transportation. For the time being, the traditionalist Gridlayers reject the possibility of using any other type of transport, perhaps except the subway. Many visitors claim that the Slacker half of the town is more colorful and vibrant than the areas managed by their Gridlayer friends. Interesting street layout and leisure facilities tucked away here and there are probably what makes these districts more appealing. In fact, the Slackers were tasked by the city hall to develop a larger leisure zone, specifically dedicated for the entertainment of all citizens, regardless of their tribal allegiance. Eventually, a new district named Torrey Coast was built for this purpose. The biggest challenge was to create appropriate facilities that could accommodate entertainment needs of carefree Slackers and Gridlayers - whose tastes are more refined. It was ultimately decided that this new zone will host art galleries, different museums and an easy access to a beachside and picnique grounds, creating a good compromise between basic and sophisticated entertainment. The local chapter of the renowned "Atom" nightclub made it into the area as well, further adding to diverse leisure opportunities in Torrey Coast. In the previous episode, the Revered Spirits of the St'ropoli Dimension were asked to decide about the future of Blossom - an agrarian, Localvore town which had lots of free, open spaces ready for further development. A decision was to be taken whether this space should be dedicated to farmlands or a large lake. As it often happens, both options received the same amount of votes. The Localvores decided to honor both answers. This is why Blossom will from now on, consist of both farmlands and a spacious lake which has a beach and is partially navigable for sailboats. Feel free to review the new developments in the town before you go! To sum up today's episode, Quigley Beach and Optimism are some of the largest cities around New Udanani and they are expected to continue to develop in the coming years. Potential for growth seems to be quite high for both municipalities. For the time being the largest city in the land is the Businesspeople's capital of Profit Hill. However, this tribe's defiance and their pursuit of money angered many Revered Spirits of the St'ropoli Dimension and the punishment for the tribe's violation of The Sacred Pond of Forces is almost inevitable at this point. Whether the shining, glass and concrete skyscrapers of Profit Hill withstand the holy wrath of higher beings is anyone's guess...
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Hey hey! Welcome to Ashford! Ah but who cares? Winter is finally here! 'Tis the season to be jolly as the winter holidays have started and a thick blanket of snow covers most of northern Cathnoquey. Traffic is almost at a standstill as the slippery roads have frozen over. It's the perfect season for desaturated postcards, and ski stations all across the Northern Territory have started operating for the winter. University is on winter break, but the university district is still fairly busy at this time of year. Holiday shopping still needs doing for some, as 'tis also the season to share! With the roads blocked up, most people rely on public transit, or stay at home where it's cosy and warm. Yet, for the most part, the city isn't completely locked, and people are still going to work. It definitely is the season to visit Ashford's ski resorts and saunas. Tourists can pack up, come in, and have some coffee and cakes while watching the snow fall over the city while the ponder their holiday plans. City Hall Lake hasn't quite frozen yet, but the canals have. Soon, people can finally go ice-skating again. There is a sense of wonder across the city, as with every winter, as the snow transforms the landscape. There is a sense of wonder across the city, as with every winter, as the snow radically transforms the landscape. The city continues to function, but everything is also so -quiet-. Can't blame the people gone for the winter holidays, or who decided not to rush to work today. Besides, there are several traffic jams in certain areas, as not every car uses winter tires, and accidents become the norm. You'd expect different from a city used to snow in winter. The M-3 interstate is still operational, though, with road equipment finally coming into play! In the Northern Territories, despite the milder climate winters are harsh. Yet every year, snow comes ever later as the climate warms. Many people point out to snow falling as definite proof that hell is not freezing over, yet the first snowfalls used to happen a month earlier just two decades ago in this part of the world. At least 5E139 isn't the warmest year of the Fifth Era or on record at all - that dubious honor does belong to '136 however. It's time to turn on the geothermal plant. Electricity provides most heating in most households, but there's a specially dedicated network that provides warm water to most. But already, in the deceptively quiet city a small emergency is occurring. A small avalanche further down the railway has shut off rail traffic in and out of Ashford. Passengers and commuters from further down the metro area end up stranded in the frozen city. For several, it's the occasion to wander into midtown and enjoy the fine dining establishments. Further in the suburbs, the bustle of city life and the constant noise and music give way to a surreal landscape of silence and peace. The first snowfalls always come to the delight of kids, especially in the mountain communities of greater Ashford, such as Balmung, NCT, where they can sleigh down the steep roads. Ironically, the new trains that are due to replace Ashford Subway rolling stock can't handle the ice! Stranded regional trains come to the rescue. Flights rush in to land before an expected blizzard later today, and another accident is narrowly averted. A jet has become stranded on the airport's main runway, and ATC has mistakenly given clearance to the next plane to land. Thankfully, the flight crew noticed the runway intrusion on time and abandoned the landing. 'tis the longest night tonight, and at barely 4PM night has already fallen. Traffic into midtown as the snow begins falling again... ...and it is soon time for commuters to go home from work, either by road... ...or by rail, at least on the still operational metro lines. Tonight's big game has had to be cancelled after the away team (from Vesper Bay) failed to reach Ashford on time tonight. Now that's disappointing. The Ashford Rangers are not top of the league (Glenvale played almost perfectly this season and leads them by 5 points) but they're on a 10 win streak, so there's a feeling that anything is possible for the Blitzball league's recently promoted underdogs. The mayor must be preparing their New Year's address, but the rotunda and most upper story rooms seem to be empty tonight. Empty streets in downtown Ashford. By now most people are already done with their holiday shopping. The biggest celebration, Saturalia, is in only a few days, and is a grand occasion to visit family, exchange gifts and feast around roast. The Wayfell celebration has spread to all over Tamriel and even further, such as Cathnoquey, and even Akavir. Rail services resume, allowing people to finally return home to their families. The longest night of the year is just starting. And thus, the fair people of Ashford are falling asleep, as several more inches of snow begin to fall over their roofs. The winter season is starting, and truly, 'tis the season to be merry. That's it for today folks! Hope you enjoyed, this is a shorter than usual entry as I'm very busy, but a new city's in the works so stay updated! Happy holidays to all ^^
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Welcome to Ashford! And today, we're talking a tour on two of the major links that connect Ashford : the Blue and Orange rapid transit lines. Ashford is a big city, which requires some form of heavy rail to avoid traffic problems. Let's take a tour of the Blue Line first. The Blue Line is a 15 km long line that links the northernmost parts of the town, the CBD, and the nearer east side. 30% of all journeys made on the entire transit network are made on the Blue Line. Trains run on a 10 minute headway at peak times, though half the trains northbound stop at Empire Park while only the other half terminates further at Coleridge Heights. Most of the Blue Line used to be part of a mainline which served several towns, now suburbs, in the Coleridge valley. We started at Coleridge Heights, so let's follow the rails! The line is still operated by old, twice-refurbished MP54 units, usually coupled in 4-car consists. Their replacement has been long overdue, but a referendum on a transit tax sales increase that would have gone to fund replacement of Blue and Orange rolling stock has been defeated twice in the past twenty years. Oh, and here's the entry to the Coleridge Railyard. For at least half a mile from Coleridge Heights station, the mainline from New Wellingborough parallels the metro line. Here's where they split, though they will merge again shortly before Central Station. You'll soon notice the lack of signals on the metro - that's because the two lines use moving block technology and run on automatic train operation, with a single train operator responsible for the safety of the carriage for the length of its journey. The most obvious advantage is optimized headways and wiggle room for expansion or heavier usage - but on several occasions the system has failed, forcing all trains to stop with no signals to run on and stranding passengers across the city. The system is also criticized for being expensive to maintain and unneeded since the shortest headway on the network are about 4-5 minutes on shared Blue/Orange Line tracks. Another view of the line split, as the mainline goes through a windfarm, because...why not? The city's power grid isn't gonna run itself and nobody cares what the reckless, billionaire President of Cathnoquey thinks of wind farms next to his golf courses. The mainline then crosses a bridge over the Coleridge Valley, which is easily one of the highest rail bridges in Cathnoquey. But before that, we arrive at King's Hill station, formerly King's Hill Road. Note how the road itself is sandwiched between the subway and mainline tracks. King's Hill does not see many customers, though there are only one train every 20 minutes calling here. The Blue Line then traces its way across hilly terrain to reach Empire Park. Empire Park station used to be small, too. However, it was greatly expanded on in 5E118, as the transit authority sought to adopt a hub-and-spoke model with the Blue Line as its cornerstone. Several bus lines terminate at Empire Park Bus Terminal (in the background), and half of all Blue Line trains terminate here, too. In 5E128, a new rail link, the underground, elevated Airport Shuttle now calls here too. The underground concourse linking all platforms now serves as a platform itself for the small automated shuttle. Empire Park is the largest used station outside of the CBD. The tracks then weave across Concord, one of the old late 4th Era plantations now merged into the city's spawling fabric. North Concord Station and its Park and Ride parking lot. Two minutes later, and we roll into Concord Institute Station. Those trains sure are rusty. A #10 red bus typical of Ashford rolls by Concord Institute station. The Institute itself is just a block away, and is a highly-ranked engineering university campus. Trains then go down the hill in a series of sharp curves across Sheldonville... ...then under the freeway bridge, where they rejoin with the mainline, at the entrance of the main industrial park. Central Station railyard. The metro tracks are on the left of the picture, you can see the Orange Line tracks merging into the Blue Line ones. Middle tracks are for mainline traffic. Here's a Blue Line train bound for Central Station. Finally, we arrive at Central Station, an important interchange point for most city buses as well as between the Blue and Orange lines. After a two-minute layover, we start again, and this time go underground. In the late 4th Era, not long after the end of the Civil War, Central Station did not exist, and there were three tunnel portals to what was then the main central station, State Street. And here it is! State Street station, nested in its trench. There were more tracks back then, now buried below where the tram tracks run. A brick building used to connect this sunken station, perpendicular to all six platforms, but it has since then been demolished and changed into that road you can see above the remainder of the station. The empty space that used to be the closed four platforms has been covered up below the plaza and converted into a parking lot. The Green Line tram still calls here, though, and State Street is still an important transport hub today. However, from street level, nobody would suspect one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture used to stand above the steam trains in the trenches below. We continue to University station, once known as University / State Capitol. This is the final station where Orange and Blue Lines share the same tracks, as the Orange splits northwards and the Blue continues eastwards. Here's where both lines split, as the tracks now run along the waterfront. At Morningside Station, a housing promoter got the idea of building his Railside Pyramid housing development on either side of the rail tracks. Skybridges were originally planned, but the city council deemed them overkill. This piece of track is new, and was built across the district as gentrification took hold and condos replaced run-down projects; there used to be an avenue instead of the trackage, which for years was known for the Morningside Market. There isn't much of a community to bring together here these days, but at the same time, someone had to do something about all the rat-infested buildings... The Blue Line tracks then continues into high-density development, all built on the site of Morningside Market Avenue... And finally the Blue Line turns northwards to serve some of the East Side. Loxborough / Grove Park, end of the line! There is an expansion project to the town of Balmung which would involve the Blue Line digging into these hills northbound, but once again, lack of funding has forced the Authority to shelf the whole project. We've seen the Blue Line; let's now take a gander at the Orange Line. The Orange Line is the city's main link linking the southern suburbs, but it actually starts north of the CBD. About 20% of all journeys made on the network are made using the Orange Line, which is a 10 km long line which runs mostly elevated. This is because unlike the older Blue Line, the Orange Line was built as a metro from the onset. Likewise, the Orange Line runs on a 10 minute headway though all services start and terminate at the termini (except for a few late-night and early-morning trains, which begin at Empire Park after coming out or heading into Coleridge Railyard). Let's start at Lafayette Boulevard station, on the newer Uptown Expansion line. Lafayette Boulevard, at the heart of Uptown (even though Downtown separates Midtown from Uptown, a quirk of the city's growth and the names not quite following through). Uptown is nested in the Ashford hillsides, and is easily one of the most diverse communities in the city : the original Dunmer settlers still live here, along with several other Elvish races that, back in old Tamriel, would be at each others' throats. The result is Hamilton "International" Avenue, seen here at the corner of Lafayette. This expansion relieved the CBD as several bus lines could be pushed back to end at Lafayette instead. Waiting for the train at Lafayette Boulevard. The station is two-tracked, but in normal service only Platform 1 (signed with an orange "Downtown & Newbury") is in service. Platform 2 (signed with a blue "Downtown & Empire Park") is used either for storage, in case of a breakdown on the other platform, or as a Blue Line platform for those trains heading back to the depot using the Blue Line tracks (or in case of shutdown on the Blue Line's eastern half). It is more economical to have them be in revenue service as much as possible, after all, and so they continue as Blue Line trains from University to Empire Park. Using elevated tracks the line then continues to North CBD / Silverwind Casino station, sponsored by said casino. The station is moderately used, but when the Silverwind hosts galas journeys to and from this station are free of charge. The line then comes to street level, and then digs down underground under the CBD. There should have been an underground station somewhere inside the CBD, but it was never built because - you guessed it - lack of funds. Sadly, most people consider urban rail to be for-profit, whereas it should not be, as it is a piece of infrastructure necessary to the nation's economy much like airports or roads, but oh well. The line emerges above ground and quickly merges with the Blue Line for that University - State Street - Central Station stretch. Before this Expansion opened, Orange Line trains terminated in a dedicated terminal at Feltonville on the Blue Line, which is now closed. The Orange Line parts from the Blue Line here. Trains run on these rickety bridges over the industrial canal.. ..Then merge back together. Note how these trains are electrified using conventional overhead lines, by the way - that's a remnant of the Blue Line's past as an electrified mainline railway, which carried over when it was time to connect the Orange Line to it. The Orange Line then curves over Moore Avenue, which it will now follow, with Bybury / Stadium station a staggering 5 blocks away from the stadium itself. View from the curve looking southwards. Wynesfield station with Raynoldstown station in the background, once the hill is cleared. As Moore Avenue swerves further and further way from the CBD, the Orange Line becomes at-grade and curves alongside the roadway. Orange Lines track split to accomodate a roadway pillar at the end of Moore Avenue. Brownsville Avenue station, serving the Wood Height Projects. Yes, that's a fairly inefficient roadway, but it looks unique and there are many roadways like that across the world. It separates the flow of traffic, it does its job, much as people might complain about the area's lack of walkability. Not everything needs to be game-mechanic-optimal. An Orange Line train about to enter Brownsville Ave station, bound for Newbury Quay. Talking of which : Finally, we arrive at the terminal station : Newbury Quay, along with a small railyard. The station is located just a block away from the bay itself. Handy for an afternoon out by the waterside. Newbury used to be a quaint resort town, but partly thanks to the subway, it has now developed into an entire residential suburb of Ashford, more than 7 km away. And what would this entry be without its own subway map? The Blue and Orange lines are the backbone of Ashford, along with the Green Line, which we haven't quite visited - but worry not, a new tram line is on its way, so we'll have plenty of time exploring it soon! Anyway, that's it for me, I hope you enjoy this very long entry but then again I love trains a lot - also I wanted to show that it is possible to make a compelling, yet functional metro link using conventional rail (which does make you think a lot more about spamming those subway trains, honestly). It's an extra challenge I recommend to anyone interested in some eye candy and also in a less easy alternative to subways. Sooo see you around
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Welcome back to Aureus! Since the last entry, I have constructed two yacht clubs/marinas, a large downtown marina and a smaller one in the Aureus Estates. I have also finally divided the new areas of the city into districts, although I haven't named them yet. The city was also recently hit by a death wave which killed about 10000 people, so the population is lower than it was in the last entry. And last but not least I have added new unique buildings to North Aureus as I am trying to go for a midtown Manhattan look in that area. Enjoy!
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Welcome back to Aureus. Since the last entry I have built a new water treatment facility, added onto the University of Aureus and I have built new intersections all over the city in an effort to solve congestion. Enjoy!
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From the album Night Scenes (S3-12-E)
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Welcome back to Aureus, where once again a lot has changed. The population is now at nearly 170,000 people and steadily growing. The biggest change is that I bulldozed a large chunk in the middle of North Aureus and built a large park in it's stead. I also added another golf course to the city because I realized that a city of this size would probably have around 10 golf courses, not one. That being said This is just a 9 hole (half) course and I don't plan on building another golf course in this city. Last but not least I expanded the downtown elevated walkway system. Enjoy!
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Welcome back to Aureus. Once again a lot has changed since the last entry. I have added many small details like new intersections, new unique buildings and new parks, I have also expanded behind the airport. The population is at 154, 000 people and still growing, enjoy!
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Welcome back to Aureus, a lot has changed since the last entry. The population is now well over 100000 people and I have developed multiple new areas, I have also included a satellite shot at night to show how much the city has grown since Entry #3. Enjoy!
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Welcome back to Aureus, since my last entry the city has grown about 10000 people. I have also added a new elevated train line that goes through the downtown core and the core industrial sector. Enjoy!
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The Financial Centre The Capitol This view shows the Elevated highway, the elevated train tracks and the elevated pedestrian highway The Entertainment District The tourism district on New Imperium lake An overview of the entire city I have not named all of the districts yet The Financial Centre at night
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Entry 34 : A Commute Through Town (5E136)
Linoa06 posted a City Journal entry in Skylines of Cathnoquey
Heya everyone! It's been one year since I began this CJ and I'm thrilled that it's still going on! Today we're taking a commute in this town : In the morning mist you can even see the smog coming from the glorious chimneys of the great industrial areas that cover the town and its inhabitants in soot and riches. The journey begins south, in a residential district called South Lexington. This is the A4 road from Glenvale, which here is not a freeway, but instead a 1x1 road with local lanes. It gets really jammed at rush hour. Once reaching the Morningstar Bridge, finally traffic can use two lanes. When you finally drive up onto the bridge, you sigh with relief. Maybe you won't be late to the office after all! From there, you drive on towards the CBD. You have two choices : you can try the waterbank expressway, which is hardly ever used because of its steep tolls... Or you can be cheap and carry on driving on the A4. As you drive into town the road even becomes a 3-lane way with sound barriers. And all of this to drive from this neighbourhood... ...into downtown, some 10 miles away. Somehow you beat the traffic! Or is it that you just went extra early? Either way, the streets are still quiet and the shops are still closed. Here are your shoppers and office workers! They're stuck on a bridge above the motorway, predictably enough. You wish there was a real mass transit system, beyond the inadequate buses and streetcars...but the federal grants have instead gone in the refurbishment of the small Vesper Bay Campus instead. Not that it's a bad thing, really - it's the leading university in the country as far as biology is concerned, and many talented barristers and laywers also come from these halls. With the federal grants, the university could improve quality of life for its students, and build sports facilities. The parkings didn't really get the same treatment though. That's the least they could do, right? The big addition this year isn't even the university, though. And no, it's not a proper transit system either. The Ministry of Magic has finally opened! The Ministry complex (which cost billions to the country) takes the form of a giant tower which dominates the south reaches of downtown. Landfills were turned into beautiful, weaving parks. The Ministry hosts all services for the small yet vibrant wizarding community of Cathnoquey. Cathnoquey seeks to become a leader in magical expertise - something Cyrodiil has excelled at for the past few centuries, ever since the fall of the Aldmeri Dominion. Personally, if I have to commute anywhere, I'd love my workplace to offer me a massive blooming park to relax during lunch break. But for all the talks of modernity and forward thinking, the town still lacks a definite public transport network. The buses are crammed, the trams are unreliable, and everything just costs so much! But hey, maybe we install a modern LRT system next entry And that's it for today! Next time we're beginning to improve our transit system so it connects more of the city together! Thanks for reading! And here's a map of the general area. Thanks See you next time- 2 Comments
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Today, P. R. goes to the Omega Library for a day of reading, lectures and workshops. After which she will relieve the stress with some heavy shopping and fine dining at the Blue Commercial Center. 1. The library is situated in a comparatively quiet part of the city. Its real name is Heywood Library, but its shape inspired some Greek-savvy citizen, and somehow the name stuck. 2. With its adjacent Menines Park and pretty little miniputt, everything is not high-brow-only about it. 3. 4. 5. The Menines Park : 6. Nearby, the old City Hall and the Mayor's house : 7. And then, go to Blue ! (you know, of course, why the Thille citizens gave it that nickname...) 8. Part of the Radisson chain, it's both a hotel and (on the ground floor and below, a commercial center. The fine panoramic restaurant is on the last floor. 9. The view on the river is splendid. 11. And the river banks parks and plazas not far : 12. More about those next time...
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Escape From Martin Falls : Zinfandel revisited
tariely posted a City Journal entry in P.R. Crastina's Travels (SC4)
Around her third week in Martin Falls, that long ago summer, P. R. began to feel antsy. She soon understood what she was going through : it was the Green Blues Attack. Too much green ! Too much peace & quiet ! So, as she had done while in Kathy Vale, she escaped again to The Big City, Zinfandel. But this time she decided to do the Kultur thing -- no more follies at the amusement park. Let's go highbrow, she thought. Museums, art galleries, theatre (the live kind, not the movies...) and music : first night, the Opera -- Cosi FanTutte. Then, realizing the Science Museum blue dome was just on the other side of the track with its reclaimed banks -- parks and bike paths--, she went there the morning after. Then it was the Oceanographic Museum --with a little detour by the Aquarium. In the afternoon, a movie theatre beckoned, but P. R. resisted virtuously and went instead to the Museum of Arts & Crafts (they take their arts & crafts very seriously in Zinfandel, she thought : what grand building !) Then not far, there were the City Archives, with a big “Zinfandel through the Ages” exposition .P. R. is a sucker for old engravings and nostalgic sepia photos, so she went. There she met an interesting older gentleman, who directed her to a smaller museum, not as frequented but worth the visit for its semi-private collection of Seventeenth and Eighteenth century miniatures. “Well, as long as they provide magnifying glasses...” They did, so she went (it's the small Mediterranean looking building...) The older gentleman turned out be the curator of that little museum and an excellent tour guide. There is a nice park close to it, but she was feeling a little tired -- and the day was getting hotter, so she went and did some laps at the Municipal Swimming Arena to get the kinks out of her back. The day after that, as she wasn't yet Kultured out, she went to the Gavern Art Museum, close to one of the many city libraries -a modern, all glass one (in summer, Museums are decidedly cool, aren't they ? ) And then she went back to her hotel, because she had kept the whole last day for the pièce de résistance : The Zinfandel Gallery, a multi-media, multi-shopping, multi-restaurants, multi-everything she had been told about enthusiastically while in Kathy Vale but had declined visiting during her first escape to the Big City. In prevision, she had booked her room at the nearby Karhu hotel. (in fact there were yet two other museums in the vicinity, but she called it quits). Oh my, multi it was ! (and multi-levelled : the shopping was all underground.) After that, a culturally satiated P. R. went back to Martin Falls, more than ready ready to tackle more weeks of lazy, quiet greenery !- 12 Comments
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P. R. 's week-end in Zinfandel was coming to a close, the buzz of the Big City was getting too loud for her country girl's ears. She was ready to leave, with a jumble of impressions stored in her mind (and camera). First : clean, that city is clean, Switzerland-like clean. Even both its dumps are clean, though they partly process the garbage of Eden Bay -- there has been talk of closing the big one down, P. R. has been told. Which would be silly, so the Mayor stands firm. But at least people really don't mind living near them. Or close to the waterworks, for that matter : The East Market rail station : The Mayor's posh mansion, near the regal City Courthouse : The bunkery City Hall, with the Central Balthazar Market, and the university Central Station by night (Nocturnals can have a drink there at any hour, it never closes.) And that's from there that P. R. not bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, went back to Kathy Vale... going... going... gone -- she snored all the way back and almost missed her stop.
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Hello all, I just started playing SC4000 rush hour a few months ago, I read most info here before starting and all your advices helped a lot, however, Victoria is my first big city, I haven't passed over 300,000 CAP at any other city, I try as a rule to avoid any pollution by keeping industrial areas in other cities and keeping them well connected at the same time, I've been playing several cities by stages so they could grow altogether and feed each other as you can see in the pictures I took, once I realized I could it all well I downloaded NAM and several other plugins, mostly with jobs, the trouble is that Victoria is not growning anymore, there are jobs, they don't leave them, I even plop the buildings with jobs but they are not abandoned. I placed parks, landmarks and still, several years with no change on that regards, any advice? This is my biggest city so far, I read he had the same issues but for what I read, noone could actually solved it so here I am. Also, does anyone know why the roads appear all black unless I reconnect them again by placing new roads/rails on top of the previous one after I installed the NAM. Thanks in advance.
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The other destination, when you go to Zinfandel to have fun (still the kinda mindless sort of fun), it the mall. Not a mall : THE Mall. Weeee ! You can spend a day here -- and a lot of money too. After half a day spent there, P. R. was... well, spent (not to mention lighter, money-wise). She needed some green to touch base with something not artificial. She was then directed to one unique feature of Zinfandel : the Eco Park. The city prides itself in being forward-looking, ecologically. It adresses the nature/culture problem in a different manner than Eden Bay, however, trying to imagine ways of living in the twenty-first century while keeping the environment more or less intact. Hence, the Eco Park : hypertech model buildings... in a park. And the visit is free. It is situated near the Convention Center. P. R., who is a member of the board of the Boreal SF Association, is going to recommend Zinfandel as the place for their next SF Convention ! And culture beckons, too : the Eco Park is also close to MAM, the big Modern Art Museum : Still, P. R. did not want to pass on the opportunity of seeing more of Zinfandel, so she reluctantly left the park. But as she needed some sort of an in-between place to get accustomed again to the hustle ad bustle of the Big City, she went... to some cemeteries. They're green, and they're quiet, right ? First, the big St-Augustine cemetery, devoted to the fallen of some ancient war-to end-all-wars : Then smaller ones, the St-Eleazar cemetery -- the church is lovely. And finally the St-Agatha cemetery, the smallest, but still green and peaceful, although situated near a busy road (you can spot two exemples of the city depolluting program at the intersections). Then P. R. went back to her little hôtel, near Rotunda Park, for a good night sleep. She would need it, for she intended to visit the rest of ZInfandel touristy venues -- and there are a LOT of them.
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Zinfandel : the place to have FUN
tariely posted a City Journal entry in P.R. Crastina's Travels (SC4)
First of all, good clean, mindless fun : the Amusement Park ! Not as many rides as P. R. would have wished for but still half a day aaaaarghing on the big wheel (she's afraid of heights but wants to be desensitized) and go-karting, and splish-plashing all over the place (more horizontal ! Better !), and then go and eat ice creams (plural) AND lots of deliciously dubious foods, shuffing beer... After all those Serious Talks about Art, a girl needs to unwind, doesn't she ? And at night, it's magical ! -
Heya, and welcome to this first After Dark update for Glenvale. I was quite pleased to see the city has survived the many updates that followed so let's embark on a neon tour of our city! Ah, Coal Hill High... This school was rated best high school in Kingscote for 5E131. The Green Party, which won the council election eventually, held its victory conference here. The school campus is also praised. It was built both as a campus for the schools around it and as a park for Glenvale residents of Lakeview to enjoy. But today, the star of the show is elsewhere. Today, we're not going to explore Glenvale by day. Instead, we're going to wait until night time. It is 8.30pm, and the city has just lit up. One after the other neon street lights pop up across town, drawing orange lines across the darkness. Buildings light up, and traffic becomes scarcer as everyone has commuted home. A SKRC train to Albany carries late commuters back home. Commuter trains run until 10.30 pm. The city centre does feel quieter at night, with everyone gone back home. Servers at Chirper HQ are most buzzing in the evening, when most people unwind in their homes and reshare chirps and other social media bits for the world to see. The Stark Tower dutifully watches over the city as it slowly falls asleep. But do cities truly ever sleep? The bus drivers in Glenvale would surely disagree. For them, the night shift begins. Eight night bus lines criss-cross the city, picking up late-night commuters and party-goers alike. In the summer months, evenings are also when it is most comfortable to come out for a drink or a visit to the theatre. Concord Plaza is a great place to meet up before shuffling on a shuttle bus to the nightclubs. Many of the taller buildings remain all lit up at night, though they are exceptions. The Concord Tower, to the left of the picture, shines over the plaza like a beacon. Money never sleeps, after all, and even though most bankers have gone back to their cosy estates, their servers remain up, scanning the markets and waiting for the next day. However, the red Cookie Inc. Tower remains dark at night to save energy. As for the Bluerise Tower, in the background, well...its owners have gone bankrupt, and the tower is due for demolition. A line 3B bus driver enjoys the light traffic on Federal Avenue. During the day, it is almost entirely jammed. At night, the police has to go to great lengths to prevent illegal drag races on the perfectly straight road. But there are only so many police officers, and the night is the perfect cover for unsavoury people of all backgrounds to indulge in crime. This does not worry the passengers on the SS Titus II. Tomorrow, they'll be at sea, even further south, far away from the cares of the world. Night is also a great time for shipping. With roads completely emptied of commuters, trucks can deliver goods quicker than during the day. It does get lonely, though, doesn't it? Even Downey Avenue, which strikes diagonally across the otherwise straight grid of the industrial wards, is quiet and peaceful at this time of night... Burbank Bridge flies over the Briar Lodge neighbourhood. Traffic is very light on the bridge, mostly because most people who use it live in Glenvale or nearby anyway. Soon, the bridge will be destroyed and rebuilt with a much more efficient design - and, it is feared, toll gates. The subway runs until 1am. Even late at night, there are still a fair deal of people around the train station. Most districts become quiet at night. Not Meadowfair. The university district buzzes with activity at night. Nightclubs are open and usually packed, and so are cabarets, cinema, restaurants and theatres. The district feels alive, with traffic rushing by, taxis and limos stopping. Bathed in neon lights, people are dancing, laughing, singing, some of them more than a little tipsy. Every night, there is a long procession of cars exiting the M102 spur motorway at a tiny exit in Southhill. The southernmost part of the highway is usually closed at night because of resident complaints about trucks taking shortcuts in suburban, residential areas on their way to the industrial wards. Doesn't stop some trucks from trying anyway. The Greens have won the election and are planning to put tolls to restrict access to the CBD, further alarming some residents at the possibility of increased traffic in their neighbourhoods. Perhaps the Greens should try to get over their opposition to nuclear power first. A law passed just a few weeks after their accession to City Hall and saw nuclear power plants shut, leading to rolling blackouts at night when solar power plants do not function. Needless to say, it only took two days to overturn the law. Political media described the events as the Green Electricity Bill Fiasco, and the opposition jumped on the opportunity to point out their inexperience in office. On the outskirts of the city, the last train of the day rolls along the tracks. It leaves Glenvale at 11.58pm and is bound for Amesbury Central, calling at Albany and Wesmoor. If you want to go into Glenvale later, roads are the only way. A toll gate is being built at the entrance of Glenvale on the M1. The price is only 0.75 cent (about 3 Septims) though, which is actually quite affordable yet will help in highway maintenance. The CityPass also allows drivers to pass the gate without stopping at all! They just reduce their speed and their electronic units automatically pay for them. However, the higher price of CityPass units means it is mostly useful for regular commuters in and out of Glenvale. In the background, one of the city's two nuclear power plants glow, but parks remain dark green patches of wild land within the concrete fabric of city life. Aperture Park and the Scientific Enrichment Center are also popular late-night venues. The Center holds its famous Late Night Science events on weekends and exhibits some of its technology then, such as the Great Orrery, which makes use of the stars in the sky. Some people take advantage of the lower attendance in the evenings, much to the delight of local restaurants that can stay open longer. There are several other dark patches of land in the CBD - most of it awaiting development. The CO tower (formerly the Mithril Tower before its reconstruction) looks slightly out of place, doesn't it? It's all lit blue and red, as opposed to the more typical yellow and orange glow of nearby buildings and streets. Then again, Glenvale does have quite a few atypical buildings which define its skyline, however low-rise it really is. The Stark Tower is only 50 floors high, after all - 220 meters only! The cranes in the harbor might not be as high, but they do also define the skyline of southern Glenvale and they are the first sight any ship coming into port might see. The old City Hall, refurbished as the Kingscote Historical Museum, is undergoing renovations too - soon it will be lit up brightly red in the skies of Cathnoquey. A view from above reveals the grid pattern of the CBD, with the major streets lit orange, and just how much land is about to be built-up. The sun finally rises, and the city comes back to life as partygoers return to their homes. A new day awaits! And now for more maps! This is an updated map of the SKRC Commuter system. The terrain around Glenvale, formerly very schematic, has been redrawn more accurately in response to travellers' confusion. Night network! 15 min headway is really for "peak time" though, in effect it's more like 20-30 minutes. This is it, hope you enjoyed this update and night-time Glenvale! Hope to see you next time
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It's graduation day as Glenvale celebrates its 20.000th student (now 8% of the city's whole population), but the university of Glenvale is already at capacity. As part of its economy redevelopment, Glenvale is gambling on higher education to attract capital. The Aperture Center is one such high-tech academy. Yet St Alessia Glenvale University is outdated. It was built in 5E98, back when Glenvale was more than struggling, to replace an even older building. But now, most of the university needs to move. It is decided that underdeveloped land in Meadowfair will host a far bigger campus for more than 10 thousand students to use. The new university is to be dubbed Glenvale/South Kingscote New University. It takes little over a year to rehabilitate an older building, known as Meadowfair Hall, and destroy houses to build the university around it. New University sits in the middle of Avalon Avenue, served by the busiest bus line in the network, in a neighbourhood known for its nightclub and youth. The multi-million project also involved extensive redevelopment of the entire Meadowfair area. Akaviri Hall holds the administrative areas of the university, as well as the Law and Liberal Arts departments. It is also home to the cafeterias and restaurants of the university. The Dunmeri Institute of Science has ambition to become a leader in biotechnology. Its innovative design sinks the building into the ground - nine floors of this building are actually underground, where the complex sprawls. Students walk along Avalon Avenue just two months after the Grand Opening. Other buildings include the Central Library (on the right) and the Scientific Institute of Chemistry and Biology. Further in the background, one can find Bede Hall on the campus - one of the many accomodation sites for students all over the country. The streets around the university campus are full of cheap shops, takeaways and book stores. The Departments of Business and Sociology did not move from the Old University, but each have half of it to expand. The Old University was renamed St Alessia Institute of Business and Economics, and St Alessia University Department of Sociology. The Kingscote Institute of Magitech sits across the street, as a cooperative venture between the Mages Guild and the University of Glenvale. The Kingscote Anime League is planning to use the university campus for a one-week long festival dubbed LAcon, and a couple of music festivals are also planned here. There are also a few fields for playing various sports, though there is yet to be a University team to participate in sports leagues. A new train station was built especially to serve the University. Regional trains call here on their way to the state capital, Albany. It sits at the edge of the built-up area, though. No crammed buildings or crowded skyline - and a massive parking lot in front of the station to boot. A 4-car train bound for Beacon Falls is calling at Glenvale University. The university complex is just as readily accessible by car, however. Most of Meadowfair remains a medium-density district, however, and the building of the University has led to several refurbishment projects for some of the area's oldest buildings. Carny Hall is one of many small accomodation units sprinkled across town. Those units welcome students year-round and have been built with easy transportation in mind - a ride on line 8, for instance, only takes 10 minutes from here to the university and 20 to downtown. Though not every train stops at the station, it only takes 45 minutes from here to Albany, which may be interesting to many students. All in all, one year after inauguration, the positive effects of the University have spread all across Meadowfair and Glenvale as a whole! They even have a new paper, released by the university itself : the Glenvale Express. It remains to be seen whether smaller houses will be able to hold the tide against increasing high-density development though... Yet for Glenvale as a whole, the massive new University complex is a much-needed breather as manufacturing industries have hit an all-time low. It also might become the state's most populous city that way! Here's the SKRC System Map. Glenvale University station has been marked on it. For the SKRC network, this also meant the Albany-bound half of New Hall station could be shut down as transfers were now to be done at the much bigger University station. New subway map, with a few corrections from the earlier update. Updated city transit map with the new logo. Lines 1a and 1b have new loops to beat traffic jams, more stops have been added to some lines, and line 17 was stretched out to Miller's Ferry. Line 10 also goes slightly further into the Forest Hill neighbourhood. And that's it for today, hope you enjoyed! Next week we're taking a stroll across some parts of the city. Until then, thanks for reading =)
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P.R. Crastina's Travels : P. R. Makes the Big Time (SC4)
tariely posted a City Journal entry in P.R. Crastina's Travels (SC4)
Coming from the fabled and sunken land of Simpegia, P. R. Crastina is a writer. She is now testing the waters of Simtropia, hoping the natives are kind. As a moderately successful writer, she moves around a lot to give lectures and writing workshops and generally goes about trying to contaminate impressionable young (or less young) minds with crazy talks about asking questions and never being satisfied with answers, as she writes science fiction. She also likes to walk, love trees and generally green stuff, friendly cats and eating well. This time, she has been invited to a big city, although she generally is more of a smallville & country kind of girl. Here's a peek.- 17 Comments
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Entry 16 - New Life on a Dusty Trail (5E121)
Linoa06 posted a City Journal entry in Skylines of Cathnoquey
Hello everyone! As I said in the comments of my last entry, my save file for Amesbury is no good as my game horribly lagged down due to mod/update conflicts. I did take the opportunity to clear out my assets list, and now the game works like a charm. Still, it will take some time to restore Amesbury, and during that time I don't want to hold from posting updates. So, we're going to travel south, in a new town, in a new setting! Let's walk back in time - to a time when Amesbury was but a village - to the town of Glenvale, KGT. Glenvale - a town of wild wonders. A city on the verge of greatness, a gleaming, thriving city. A city of wild hopes and ambition, of gambling and loss. A city full of human vitality, an avenue of opportunity. They heralded it as having reached its peak. Little did they know her glory days had just begun. In 5E120, Glendale is home to over 260.000 inhabitants - this makes it the sixth largest city in the country, at a time when Amesbury barely had 20.000 inhabitants. It is located in the southern state of Kingscote, and though it is not the state capital, it acts as the financial centre of the whole state. It is twinned with Anvil, GC, in Cyrodiil. Glendale was built in the early Fifth Era as more and more people joined to live the Cathnoquey Dream. In the fifties, city planners designed an extensive highway system around the town, but due to public outcry at neighbourhoods being torn apart, only a fraction was built. At the time, the city had over 300.000 people - but many left in the sixties and seventies to the north. This is reflected in the architecture - in the foreground, older buildings give way to the gleaming structures built in the 90s. Glendale is a city of innovation and advertising, and many a rocket scientist called Glendale home. It is also a city of tourism. The climate here is very hot and humid, and sunny all year round. Its airport, though, is by many standards obsolete and most traffic usually lands at the far busier airports in Albany. Glenvale is the southernmost city of importance in the whole country, after all. Its pristine beaches are one of the nation's top tourist destinations. And, if you can forget the traffic jams typical of a car-focused city, it's really a pretty nice place to live in! Okay, forget the noxious fumes in the Glenvale Bay area, too. It's not that there's no other form of transport in the city, but commuter rail and bus services are so underfunded, you might as well just take your car to the bus stop, and then straight to work. There are plans for a tramway - many large avenues crisscross the city and many bus lines along them are overloaded, after all. But how do you persuade a city council stuck twenty years in the past? Might change, though.. The election next year does not bode well for the ruling council, especially after financial scandals have forced the major to resign. Meanwhile, life goes on, as it always does.. Tonight, the Glenvale Aurochs are playing the rookie team from Amesbury in the Nation Super Blitzball tournament - thousands are going to attend! And that's it for today! In the coming updates I will expand and develop the city as I did Amesbury, and showcase several other aspects of the town. Until then, hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading my CJ (and carrying it to the top of the BTT list). You guys are awesome! -
Skylines of Cathnoquey HD #46 - Dragons Landing Tour (5E140)
Linoa06 posted a topic in Cities: Skylines City Journals
Disclaimer : Welcome to Cathnoquey! This was initially a CJ focused on building a city from scratch, but this has evolved into a visit of the many cities that form Cathnoquey. Cathnoquey is based on the Elder Scrolls, though in a decidedly less magical alternate universe which branched out somewhere in the Fourth Era. Most of the entries can be found in this forum thread, though for a more exhaustive list of all Cathnoquey work feel free to browse the City Journal section. This CJ has been going on for just under a year now, so there's quite a lot to read! This is what Cathnoquey looks like. The cities we've visited are shown in yellow! This CJ belongs to me (Linoa06) but I know a couple of folks that also write blogs based on my universe and my take on the TES setting. Having said that, do enjoy and thanks for reading! The very first entry where it all started comes just after this Welcome to Amesbury and to my Cities : Skylines CJ! I am writing this CJ and chronicling my city of Amesbury as I develop it from scratch. It's not an attempt at organic city planning (there is a master plan after all), but the city isn't fully planned either and I let myself wander off the 5-year-plan when issues arise or if I fancy trying something else. As it turns out, the candy graphics don't actually put me off. This is actually my fourth town, but the first one I build with more than just gameplay in mind. We'll see how it goes! I will not attempt to keep to a certain time frame as it killed my Traebia CJ dead in its tracks a couple of years ago. My time is limited, I want to take it easy. Of Cats and Cathnoquey So where to begin...Amesbury is a small village in the Commonwealth of Cathnoquey. During the Tiber Septim wars this island was developed as an outpost for invasions of Akavir, but it was out of the way enough that once the wars ended, most citizens returned to Tamriel and colonization was over. Ayleids were reported on the island as late as the Fourth Era, when colonization began and Cathnoquey became interesting again. They were persecuted and the few remaining Ayleids now enjoy protected minority status, but harm has been done. Cathoquey is a federation. Its two biggest cities are Wellsborough (1.254.698) and New Wigmore (785.021), though there are some other big cities scattered on the island, mostly on the coastal areas. Amesbury, Land of Sleepy Roads The two towns are linked by railroads and limited-access roadways. Amery County, in the middle of forested hills, is where the two axis meet. It could be a perfect place for a town to grow...but at present, there is only a small village settled barely fifty years ago : Amesbury. A very sleepy town... Which for fifty years has not been a great hub of anything. Though the timber industry is very present and drives the municipal economy, the town is a cosy and unassuming place. But everything changed in 5E115 with the municipal elections, and Major DeFacto, a very moustachy old Altmer, was defeated by an up-and-coming human councillor, Major Davies. And the Wellsborough-educated daughter of a timber tycoon has plans for the town. If there's a city in all of Cathoquey that must become important and -the- place to invest in, it better be Amesbury! In 5E115, Amesbury is home to 2'407 people. Most live in the residential district, also called North Shores. Further east, Crest Heights is an industrial park that, while in decline, has managed to hold its own far better than most of the industry sector in the whole country. Motorway M2, the east-west axis between New Wigmore and the New Gold Coast, looking west. Exit 54 for Amesbury and Amery County... Most traffic enters the town at Hickory Circle or through SR-8, a small road leading south. Hickory Circle is the town's central park and is where of the town's commercial activity happens. There's also a small Major's House and County Seat. The very quiet Browley Street, still sleepy in the morning sun. Proposals to embellish the roadworks have remained shelved for years under DeFacto's majorship. Browley Street was where singer Ciley Mirus lived before losing herself in a construction area and finding fame in New Wigmore! Thank you, TeeEmZee! The town has managed to keep its industry going over the years, in large part because of the many logging camps across the County. Wood-related industries make up for most of the town's industrial output. Dam Splinters, Inc has based its headquarters in Amesbury to take advantage of the very low industrial tax rate (barely 6%!), and ICK-EA is planning to set up shop here, too! DeForest Station Co., just outside town. This logging camp (and many others) is owned by the Davies family. A Sprinter train from Wellsborough to Albany runs near the town. Amesbury is not served by the CathRail passenger or freight networks, though CathCoach buses stop at Hickory Circle. That's it for now! There are many development plans going on, but for now Amesbury is still quite the sleepy town it is known for. There's high residential and industrial demand, low tax rates, plenty of land to settle, and it's one of the best spots as far as transportation is concerned, so Talos willing, maybe the town will grow someday... This is my first entry and beginning area, hope you like it and feel free to give feedback. -
Wow. in four Episodes. We made it to 200k population!, my biggest cities of them all! this series is becoming to the end because the land is becoming more small to work on but don't worry im going make a new journal for a new city. Next Week. Vids and Pics The Bay Mididle section of the City Upper Section of the City Vids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwgZinht9Ig&feature=youtu.be
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My city is now about 1 100 000 citizens. I'm proud This is one part of that city, city is so huge, now I redesign part's...one by one Hope you like it, if you have some part's of your city, that is beautiful, and you proud of, send me in comments, I would like to see something new, and new inspiration for my city.
