Interactive City Journal - Developing the Timbuktu Region!

[djrules5454]

I have a small metropolis that I've been developing in the default Timbuktu region over the last 8 months, and though I have been having a lot of fun with it, I'm looking at incorporating some other people's design plans as well as sharing what I've built and still building my own developments along the way. There are three core cities and areas, Donavann (65,521 in core city), Grenadia Flats (98,336 in core city), and Dakota City (33,119 in core city). Regional population is 345,177.

The five largest municipalities are as follows:
1. Grenadia Flats
2. Donavann
3. West Granadia Flats (suburb of Granadia Flats) 41,452
4. Dakota City
5. North Donavann (primarily a suburb of Donavann, but also a suburb of Dakota City) 15,472

Form for submission of proposals is as follows:
What is needed:
-Map of proposal
-Details of any custom content I would need to download and from where(links preferred!)
-Why I should choose your proposal over someone else's

Below is a picture of the region, and below that is the transportation map (highways unmarked for now). The large mass of urban area on the west side of the map is Donavann and its suburbs. The mass of urban area directly east of that is Grenadia Flats and its suburbs, while the northernmost cluster is Dakota City and its suburbs.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/6...tu12112011.png

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/4...011traffic.png

Closer in pics to come later. All proposals will be considered!

EDIT: For the sake of a faster loading page, I've gone ahead and converted certain updates so that every image is a URL, while converting only every other image in most other updates.

[djrules5454]

Our first city we shall visit shall be the core city of Donavann. It's population when we started was about 65,000, with another 80,000 or so living in its surrounding suburbs.

Overview:

As you can see, it's not the prettiest city to look at and its major roads are quite densely concentrated.

A look closer in at the denser residential core:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455020.png
That web of highways, though not pretty, is certainly necessary for traffic flow. I am open to proposals on how to improve the setup.

A look even closer at that nasty web of highways.

A lot of the avenues in this area used to be single lane roads that ended up with a high traffic flow and needed to be upgraded and then subsequently became less traveled.

This is the dirty industrial zone on the Northeast side of the city:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455058.png
Numerous plans about changing the zoning of the area have been proposed to the council, but they are still waiting on better plans. Proposals on how to change this area are being accepted now.

This is the western half of that industrial zone:

Proposals have been floated to change this area as well. I am accepting suggestions for this area as well.


A look at what is essentially the commercial core of Downtown Donavann:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455107.png
As you can see, it's not terribly large and not terribly dense, though this is a city of only 65,000. And I just noticed a zot in this picture. Whoops.

A closer look at the southwestern industrial section of the city:

Not necessarily the best place for that stadium.

Southwest corner of the city from a bit further out:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455192.png
Actually a pretty quiet part of town.

University Town:

The wealthy and students alike populate this neighborhood near Donavann University.

South University Town:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455220.png
This neighborhood is populated by both poorer students and the working class folk.

West Hills:

This is a part of town that is a bit more upscale.

Northtown Core:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455254.png
This area contains Uptown on its south end as well as most of the northwestern quadrant of the city.

Western East Town:

This is the stuff just east of Downtown. A bit of a slum.

Eastern East Town:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455278.png
The eastern half of East Town.

South Bank:

This is the extent of the city's claims on land on the south side of the river it sits on.

That's it for this post! I do have one renewal project I've already done on the way, but to make this page easier on people's modems, I will hold back on posting that until I get some comments and replies on this stuff.

Proposals for redeveloping areas other than what I've indicated I'm looking for are welcome as well!

[Nze_Mio.GT]

are you playing this without plugins?

[djrules5454]

Originally Posted by Nze_Mio.GT

are you playing this without plugins?

I have a few I'm using, such as the BSC BAT Bank, the NAM (I think the engine is the May 2011 one, sans RHW for some reason - probably going to update that at some point), and a few retail stores and several skyscrapers. I don't have much more because it took me a few hours to even install the ones I have (downloading, unzipping, running the installer or putting it in the folder, and making sure I had all the dependencies). Might have the Industry Quadrupler as well, but I'm not 100% sure.

If you have a proposal for an area that requires a plugin I haven't downloaded, I am certainly open to downloading it, as long as you can give me a safe link to it.

And I just realized I forgot this picture of the Northwest portion of the city:



--------------------------------

Anyway, moving on to the renewal/development project...


This undeveloped plot by the river is slated for development:


Phase 1:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455338.png
The simplest of the phases.

Phase 2:

Creating a level upper portion and zoning the area appropriately.

Phase 3:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455437.png
Leveling the lower portion.

Phase 4:

Adding some infill next to the Mayor's Mansion.

Phase 5:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455547.png
Expanding the land area of this lower portion of the city.

Phase 6:

Constructing the road network through this lower area.

Phase 7:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455684.png
Zoning the area and waiting for development to happen.

Phase 8:

Altering the final plan to better meet current demand levels.
Project complete!

http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455720.png
Final population and RCI demand after completing construction on that development.


Elsewhere in the city...

A new cemetery was built...

... in the Northwest corner of the city.

The university finally got its radio station...
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455822.png
... not far from the industrial zone on the southwest side of town.

But in that same meeting...

... the council approved a television studio in that same area.

Shockingly, the council was still meeting at the Mayor's Mansion despite the city's size, so...
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324455914.png
... they finally commissioned and completed a new city hall near the newly completed development project.

Downtown around 5 months after the completion of the riverfront area:


And Downtown filling out about 3 months after that last picture:
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...1324456213.png

I think my next photo tour will be of Dakota City.

Comments, criticisms, and new development proposals always welcome!

[djrules5454]

This time we shall visit Dakota City. It is a city of around 45,000 at present, making it the third largest city in the region, and its suburbs hold roughly
another 40,000 inhabitants.

An overview of the city. Well developed on the west bank, but underdeveloped on the east bank due to the airport.


This is the Southwest corner of the city. It has monorail service to the nearby industrial zone to reduce traffic congestion.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/6...1723132453.png

This is that industrial zone that monorail I previously mentioned runs to. It is likely to be removed in favor of more residential and commercial development to clean up the city's riverfront.


This is the western side of the city.
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/9...2323132453.png

This area is known as Uptown because it is quite literally up a hill from Downtown.


This area is known as West Downtown. Not a very dense area yet.
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8...2923132453.png

This area happens to be East Downtown.


This large area is known as North Downtown. It is actually the densest portion of Downtown, though Uptown is still denser at present.
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/4...3231324537.png

This area here is known as East Bank. It is the least densely populated area in the city of the built up areas.


This is the city's airport. It is one of two airports in the region.
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/889...1523132453.png

Here we have a view of East Bank from a different vantage point, this time facing east.


And here we have an overview of much of the western bank of the city, facing toward the south.
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4...2823132453.png

Here we have a project where we are widening a roadway to account for terrible traffic strains in the southwest corner of the city.
Before:


After:
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9...2425132453.png

And for our wrap-up of our tour of Dakota City, here's a bonus picture of what congestion in the city looks like:


As you can see, there really isn't any.

And for an extra special bonus, I have three region maps:

Here's an overview I took on December 22:
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/874...u22dec2011.png

And here's a transportation view taken that same day:
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/4...udec222011.png

And as an extra-special bonus, here is a highway map with county lines included for the region:
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/5...aymapdec22.png

[djrules5454]

Despite no replies, I'm posting another update since I've got it ready.

Update 5 - Grenadia Flats

Our next tour shall be of our third and largest anchor city of the region, Grenadia Flats. It's population is over 100,000, and its neighboring cities have roughly 60,000 additional inhabitants.

This is an overview of the city:
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/1...mar2040132.png

Moving in closer, we shall start in the southeast corner of the city and go counter-clockwise around the outer edge of the city. That wide roadway that cuts across the top of the image is University Avenue, named so because it passes by the university that is in the upper right-hand corner of the picture.
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6...mar2340132.png

Moving further north, we are now in the University area of town. That road that cuts across the right side of the image going north to south is also University Avenue. It's a pretty important road around these parts.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2...mar2540132.png

Moving still further north, we arrive in the East Side. For the most part, a pretty well to do area.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/567...mar2840132.png

And further along, we are now in the Northeast. This area has lost a lot of its density due to intense traffic flowing through the major roads in this area, as well as the golf course and the clearance fields for the nearby airport.
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2...mar3140132.png

Travelling west, we are now in the Airport District of the city. This area lost a lot of its density when the city finally approved the construction of an airport.
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9899/...apr1440132.png

Crossing over the expressway, we are now in the eastern portion of the Northwest Industrial Zone. There is a considerable amount of green space here.
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5...apr1540132.png

And here is the rest of the Northwest Industrial Zone.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/4...apr1640132.png

Traveling south, here is the West Side Industrial Zone.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/4...apr1640132.png

Heading even further south, we enter the West Side. And we also meet up with University Avenue again.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/1...apr2340132.png

And here's the Southwest area of the city. As you can see, the West Side is a rougher part of town.
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/7...apr2540132.png

This happens to be the South Side. It is a bit more well off than the West Side.
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/8...apr2740132.png

And what we have here is known as Casinotown, being between the two largest casinos in the city. It's a pretty well to do place.
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/5...apr2940132.png

This area is known as 3rd and Central for it being the intersection of those two roads, and is on the southern edge of Downtown. It's pretty well dissected by the elevated rail and monorail tracks the city ran to reduce congestion.
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8...may2401324.png

This area here is known as both Old Town and West Downtown.
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/1...may4401324.png

This area here is East Downtown.
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/479...may6401324.png

This area happens to be the Warehouse Industrial District. There is quite a bit of mass transit traffic that goes through this area.
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5...may8401324.png

This portion of the city is known as Train Town, and gets its name from all the railways criss-crossing the area.
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/109...may1040132.png

This portion of town is known as Tre-Uni-Cen, for the three major roads that define the area (Trelawny Highway, University Avenue, and Central Avenue).
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/1...may1240132.png

In focus here is the 10th Avenue NW/2nd Street NW station located in the northwest portion of town. It's a fairly sprawling bus and monorail station designed to handle the mass transit traffic that flows through the area every day.
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/7...may2540132.png

As this picture shows, there is quite a bit of mass transit traffic in the area.
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1...jun1140132.png

Here we have a closer look at the city's Convention Center located in Downtown. It was actually built quite recently! If you look back at previous pictures, you'll notice it's not there!
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/6...jun3043132.png

And now onto improvement projects!

Here we have reports that this road near the northern edge is greatly over capacity.
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9...aug1440132.png

And here are the measures taken to try to improve traffic flow in the area! Still not enough, apparently, but it will have to do for now.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/875...aug1540132.png

Moving onto another portion of the city, this time to the south east side, we have another road well over capacity!
http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/5...jan6411324.png

After much deliberation, here's what the city planners had devised and constructed for the solution:
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/5...jan1041132.png

Not exactly sure why I took this one.
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3...may5431324.png

Here we have the old University Stadium. Plans were in place to relocate it and place a baseball stadium where it is currently located.
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/4846/...jul1443132.png

In this image it's been replaced with the baseball stadium.
http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/2...aug4431324.png

And a few months later they have finished relocating the stadium.
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/909...dec2043132.png

That's it for this update!

If this doesn't make this page a bandwidth killer I don't know what will.

Comments and criticisms desired.

[Nze_Mio.GT]

i'm not replying...but i'm still reading...and find some tips whatsoever....keep it up!

[greencitizen144]

On the web of highways in Donavann, in which direction is most of the traffic flowing? Cause my largest city has over 300,000(it's on a large city tile, 4x that of Donavann , and I never needed that many highways packed that close together. I rely heavily on subway in my denser areas, so I guess you could try that. It's a good source of income as well.

[Sy]

Only one pic is loading for me?

[djrules5454]

Originally Posted by Nze_Mio.GT

i'm not replying...but i'm still reading...and find some tips whatsoever....keep it up!

Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by greencitizen144

On the web of highways in Donavann, in which direction is most of the traffic flowing? Cause my largest city has over 300,000(it's on a large city tile, 4x that of Donavann , and I never needed that many highways packed that close together. I rely heavily on subway in my denser areas, so I guess you could try that. It's a good source of income as well.

I do have a subway system, but my sims seem to prefer cars. The general flow is from the residential areas to the west, southwest, and south of the highway cluster heading to the northeast where many industrial areas in the city are, as well as that being the direction of a major one in the city directly northeast from the northeast corner of the tile.

Originally Posted by Sy

Only one pic is loading for me?

I'll see what I can do about that. I might turn several of them into links or thumbnails. EDIT: Turned several images into links. Should load much faster and better now.


Anyway... onto the next update, which will be a fairly small one because it will feature a very small city.

Update 6 - Victor Isle

Victor Isle is a small suburb of sorts of Grenadia Flats, lying to the city's east with most commuters going between the cities via either subway or ferry. It lies on one of the larger small islands in the region.

Overview


Closer in view of the main portion of this small city.


Here we have a closer-in look at the Grenadia Flats end of the ferry, which still technically lies within the borders of Victor Isle. There is a fair bit of car traffic on the ferry dock, as you can see.


This is that same area above zoomed a bit further out.


Here we have one of the subway stations, this one for Downtown Victor Isle.


And for our last picture this update we have another subway station, this one in the town's industrial zone.


In the interest of keeping this page from being anymore bandwidth-intensive, that's it for this update.

[greencitizen144]

I have highways and avenues running out from the city center. I also have dense comercial office to encourage sims to work in downtown. You could replace the web with a single elevated highway running from downtown into the industrial center. Example of what I did with my own city:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...district2.jpg/

[TJ]

reminds me, its been almost 8 since i played with no plugins... lol

this game never gets old! still nice im starting a new city soon after i finish installing on my new pC.