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Replies are at the bottom... Prologue Note: Usually I will have a long intro/prologue here but since the below Google Maps style map of West Central sort of has a summary in it I'm going to skip the prologue for this update, especially after the deluge of information and exposition in the last update (which I know not everyone liked). Also, this update contains quite a lot of panoramas so hope you enjoy! Welcome to West Central, one of Kellan's most vibrant urban villages A map of the City of Kellan (with the rest of the Kellan Metropolitan Area also in view but intentionally out of focus). If you look towards the Western part of the city you can see West Central. Some quick facts about West Central and those facts compared to the entire City of Kellan. Northwest-facing panorama containing the most prominent part of West Central's skyline centered on Merlington Blvd, with Eucalyptus Park and many other places of interest in views. A shot centered on the intersection of Merlington Blvd and Brampton Ave. This intersection is considered to be the center of West Central and its youthful population. While it isn't that busy in the daytime, its sidewalks become jam-packed at night as residents as visitors from neighboring urban villages flock to West Central for its famed nightlife and entertainment. View of the Northwest corner of Merlington Blvd and Brampton Ave. More hi-rises on Merlington Blvd. west of Brampton Ave. While these aren't nearly as tall as the towers East of Brampton Ave. they still house very nice offices and luxury apartments. A neighborhood Southwest of Merlington Blvd and Brampton Ave. This neighborhood is on the edge of the "East Kellan medium/high-density zoning Area" that most of West Central lies in, leading to a sharp transition from low-rise/mid-rise apartments and tall towers to more single-family homes on heavily forested sidewalks. The "East Kellan medium/high-density zoning Area" is not an actual intentional zoning plan from the City of Kellan, but rather a named originally coined by the press in 1996 to refer to the large swaths of residential zone in East Kellan that the city rezoned to medium density and high density residential as the population boom started to speed up in the late 1990's. It is worth noting though that this "area" is no longer just in East Kellan and has slowly crept westward as the region's continuous population boom has skyrocketed residential demand and prompted the city to tear down entire areas of single family homes and replace them with apartments. In fact, the percent that single-family homes make up of all residential units in the city dipped below 40% for the first time in 2015, causing many members of the press to suggest this nicknamed be abandoned entirely as most of the city's residential zones are now made up of medium and high-density zoning. Closeup of the skyline with the Outlook Yards Tower and & Hotel stealing the spotlight. At 696 feet (212.3 meters), it is the second tallest building in West Central after KPMG Kellan tower, 715 feet/218 meters, which is pictured later in this update (however, it is nowhere near the top 10 or even top 20 tallest buildings in the entire city of Kellan). Panorama of Merlington Blvd and Brampton Ave. Panorama of the main business area of West Central. Panorama up of Eucalyptus Park. The wavy building is the Kellan Youth & LGBT Center, to the right of it is the Kellan Department of Commerce and below it is a Costco Wholesale. Second panorama of Eucalyptus Park from a different angle. Large residential towers north of Merlington Blvd. Panorama of Eucalyptus Park and the surrounding area. Panorama of Hillview Canyon in its entirety (with the exception of Eucalyptus Park and Merlington Blvd., both of which were out of frame), which is obviously not an actual canyon. In this picture, you can also faintly see Eucalyptus High School at the top right, 211 Merlington Blvd. and a little bit of Saxton College at the bottom right, and a small portion of Outlook Hills at the bottom left. As you can see in the picture, Hillview Canyon is entirely residential with the exception of a couple of convenience stores and cafe's located within a few mixed-used apartments. When West Central, formerly known as Kingwood, was annexed by Kellan in 1993, the city drastically changed the zoning laws in the area and most of the single-family homes were rebuilt into apartments or remodeled/converted into duplexes and triplexes. A typical residential scene in Hillview Canyon. Another perspective of Hillview Canyon, this time with Merlington Blvd. in view. A northwest-facing view of Forestview Elementary School in Hillview Canyon. Close up of another area of Hillview Canyon, including a small block that consists of small row houses, something that isn't that common in the Kellan Metro Area. Another Hillview Canyon closeup Last close-up of Hillview Canyon, this time showing a small portion of North Outlook Hills State Forest, a forest and former state park that is centered around Mt. Stein, the tallest peak in Outlook Hills that also provides amazing views of the entire valley on a clear day. Panorama of the southern portion of Saxton College of Arts & Design (the northern portion, pictured below, contains some more academic buildings as well as the all of school's dorms). This private liberal arts college has over 11,000 full-time students is one of the most respected design schools on the entire North American West Coast. The school also frequently ranks near the top lists of schools when it comes to Architecture, Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, and Film. However, Saxton College is undergraduate-oriented, which is a very rare quality of any private college in general. This means that, despite the achievements of the school itself and its students, Saxton College fails to maintain the level of prestige as other famed design schools like the Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, or the California Institute of the Arts. The eastern portion of the school containing the school's two "classic" dorm complexes, with the smaller one being built when the school opened in 1961 and the larger tower-styled dorm complex being built with the school's eastern expansion across Wayne Ave. in 2001. The enormous apartment tower to the right of the image is known as Saxton Place. Built in 1982 with 1,837 units suited for up to 3,750 residents, Saxton Place was a former luxury apartment tower that was famous for the tallest apartment building in the Kellan Valley as it was constructed about a decade before skyscraper growth exploded in the Business Triangle of Northern Kellan County. However, the tower has since been remodeled to fit over 3,250 units suited for over 5,362 residents, with half of those units being leased by Saxton College as apartment student housing and the other half being leased by the nearby Kellan Youth & LGBT Center (which was pictured earlier) as affordable housing for homeless and low income youth in Kellan County. Saxton College from a Northwest-facing angle centered on Merlington Ave, with 211 Merlington Avenue (left) and the Willems Building (bottom center) now in view. On the other side of the Valley Connector (I-75), the freeway in the picture of the Knight Building, is a large and narrow commercial area nested between Wayne Ave. and the Lakefront Express (I-105) that contains vast retail space as well as numerous office parks. Above you can see a Lowe's as well as the Central Station of the Kellan Police Department across the street. Directly north of the Lowe's is a Sears Grand, the largest Sears on all of Vancouver Island. While this Sear's doesn't get nearly as busy as it used to, it is still relatively busy and still a popular shopping destination for local residents. A panorama of the Sears and Lowe's area, with the Carter Hotel (tall white tower) pictured at the very top. Now we move to the area Northwest of the Valley Connector and Lakefront Express, with Lizzaine Middle School in the center and the Daft Center at the bottom. A panorama of Interchange Park (bottom) and the West Central Sports Complex (center), located north of Lizzaine Middle School. Go further west and you run into the Josh Hamilton Medical Center, the third largest hosptial in the region. Directly west of the hospital is Brampton Lane High School, one of the oldest high schools in the city. Further west of the high school and we run into a low-density, middle class residential neighborhood made of mostly single-family homes. This is notable because while neighborhoods like this are common in Arlington County, it is one of the last low-density middle class neighborhoods left in all of Kellan County, the rest of the other low-density neighborhoods in the county are considered to be affluent and/or located on hilly terrain, like the nearby Outlook Hills neighborhood of Kellan. Replies paulmc | Thanks, glad you liked the story! Duco | Haha I know it's a lot, hopefully you still liked it though!
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To the North to be specific. We have mass transit and culture. We have old buildings, and we have alot of rails. This city journal will focus on function, infrastructure, public spaces and mass transit. Not the DLC, but real functional mass transit, Scandinavian/Northern european style. I will guide you through the larger urban area after the jet lag has let off. Welcome. A bit before landing, in the background you see Morstad, where we will spend most of our first tours. Older part of the urban area, Gamla Stan (Old Town). Can you spot the rail station? Hint: Walk down the road.
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Yup here we go... a series where I build a city in Cities: Skylines! For the uninitiated: This series is inspired by my 'Building A City From Scratch' video series for SimCity 4. My early release playthrough of the game: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Yl0lRNSH1gVh1WCJXp2UTlg9-MwucVs My personal review of the game will be coming. So far I have 0 mods installed. Can't gaurantee that will be true throughout the life of this new series. Pics from this part: Click for full size!
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