#Where to build an downtown and why?

14 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

clear granite
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I think the context that's important here are two things:

  • when was the city built, where, and why (time period, reason, cultural differences)?
  • what fits that time period, location and reason?

If a city/town was originally built to defend this river area there's probably gonna be some kind of settlement where the rivers meet and roads will be altered to fit the location of the settlement (instead of the other way around). The industrial area would then be built way later and further away from the settlement, but near a rail or water connection. More modern ones tend to be near highways. If a city/town developed from a smaller farm settlement it's more likely to be at a crossroads. A fishing village is going to be near the river as well, but will probably also be at an already existing road.

If it's a modern development it'd probably make sense to build near infrastructure that already exists, as well as minimizing extra costs (for example by minimizing the amount of new bridges).

hoary notch
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Friendly reminder that this forum is for REAL LIFE planning, CS planning, as mentioned in the chat description

clear granite
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Very generally speaking though for the city center:

  • Near a river (ideally near a (natural) harbor)
  • Near an already existing road, usually a crossroads
  • On relatively flat ground
  • Near farms/forests for easy access to food/building materials
clear granite
gaunt moat
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I think the answer to this question is pretty simple, but water has been the basis of civilization for the longest time, so I think it’s best if you start your city next to a body of water

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Backing up Ricardo’s points, arable land and relatively flat terrain are also ideal for choosing where to build a city center

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In the case of your map, I think it’s best to start where the two rivers meet as those from the city center can have easy access to both rivers

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Hope this helps @pallid hazel

gaunt moat
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Water also enables farming to occur, as water is required for most crops, which is something that can help keep civilization alive, plus people need water to survive (literally)

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There’s a reason why 90+% of Egypt’s population is centered around the Nile river

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Also in some cases, the best locations to have cities are also those that are in strategic locations, which are usually next to water

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Singapore is in between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, which pretty much makes it an excellent choke point for trade

clear granite
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This is very very rough, but the brown (most types of cities) and blue area (fishing village, fortified town controlling the rivers, fishing harbor) would probably make the most sense. If you want to base it more on fortresses/castles the red areas close to a forest (green) and farm area (light green) are an option (other than that they're less likely to hold larger settlements). Yellow are places I think industry would make sense.

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