How do you start cities in a realistic manner?

[kenratboy]

In the base game, you get a large large freeway interchange and right from the start have a very awkward start to a city.

I have been trying to do something different, thinking how a real small town might start in my country or most places in the world. Usually it is some sort of confluence - of a road crossing a river, a road crossing a railroad track, two rivers joining or splitting, two rural roads intersecting, or a lot of other things.

What this means is when I start a new city I try to create some sort of logical focal point. Current project was two rural highways intersecting at a railroad junction nearby. Started a small town at the road intersection, and built it up as a company town with locomotive maintenance facilities (just created industry next to the tracks and dressed it up to look believable).

This is not a hot take, but curious how other people start their cities to get an outcome different that being built around a freeway interchange (from the start). This definitely has breathed new life into the game for me as my cities look better, grow better, and are just different.

 

[prismaticmarcus]

i'm sure it ends up with a more realistic looking city. i guess there are maps on the workshop with that sort of thing?

 

[Arcvalons]

I hate how island maps have miles long bridges leading into the island...

 

[kenratboy]

Could always run a tunnel and pretend!

But yes, wish there was a way to have an island, and rely on container shipping and airports for goods, people to flow.

 

[Admiral 8Q]

Could always run a tunnel and pretend!

But yes, wish there was a way to have an island, and rely on container shipping and airports for goods, people to flow.

Apparently it can be done. Not just with one island, but multiple islands.

 

[YertyL]

In the base game, you get a large large freeway interchange and right from the start have a very awkward start to a city.

I have been trying to do something different, thinking how a real small town might start in my country or most places in the world. Usually it is some sort of confluence - of a road crossing a river, a road crossing a railroad track, two rivers joining or splitting, two rural roads intersecting, or a lot of other things.

What this means is when I start a new city I try to create some sort of logical focal point. Current project was two rural highways intersecting at a railroad junction nearby. Started a small town at the road intersection, and built it up as a company town with locomotive maintenance facilities (just created industry next to the tracks and dressed it up to look believable).

This is not a hot take, but curious how other people start their cities to get an outcome different that being built around a freeway interchange (from the start). This definitely has breathed new life into the game for me as my cities look better, grow better, and are just different.

I like to start off with a simple central road, some dirt roads, and agriculture or fishing only until I feel the city has "earned" other industry. Feels more realistic to me.

 

[Agarwel]

This is how I try to start the cities as well. Imho the way to make the city look realistic is to try to plan less. Because that is how real cities were build. Then the first houses in Paris were build, nobody thought where the metro stations sould be placed in the future and what will be best position of the airport. They just build few shacks and fields and it just expanded from there. As a result some parts of the city were not future proof and had to be rebuild. And these mistakes and rebuilds in middle of them is imho what makes the cities more realistic. You wont get realistic looking city by planning the airport position from the start. You get the realitic city by completelly forgotting about the airport until late game, then realizing, that any suitable location is in the middle of the city, covering few districts and solving this problem in some non-ideal way.

 

[prismaticmarcus]

This is how I try to start the cities as well. Imho the way to make the city look realistic is to try to plan less. Because that is how real cities were build. Then the first houses in Paris were build, nobody thought where the metro stations sould be placed in the future and what will be best position of the airport. They just build few shacks and fields and it just expanded from there. As a result some parts of the city were not future proof and had to be rebuild. And these mistakes and rebuilds in middle of them is imho what makes the cities more realistic. You wont get realistic looking city by planning the airport position from the start. You get the realitic city by completelly forgotting about the airport until late game, then realizing, that any suitable location is in the middle of the city, covering few districts and solving this problem in some non-ideal way.

exactly this. this is why i always start with nothing unlocked.

 

[Admiral 8Q]

exactly this. this is why i always start with nothing unlocked.

Same. I'm against having everything unlocked. Gives something to strive for.

 

[prismaticmarcus]

if you click on the link in my sig you'll see some drivethroughs of what i think is a realistic looking city...

 

[Admiral 8Q]

if you click on the link in my sig you'll see some drivethroughs of what i think is a realistic looking city...

Subscribed. Watched one of your vids.

Well, with Zeppelins as a mass transit, not "realistic", but fun! I tried to elevate the stops but still they sometimes fly though the buildings lol!