Side Projects

Recently, I've decided to take a small brake from playing the Tirnreich, instead I'm focusing on a side project.

This project is called the Abbott Metropolitan Project, or AMP. It's quite heavily based on Chicago, with elements of New York and Seattle. It is composed of 67 districts, and would sit along America's East coast.

I've decided to download a crapload more of the NYBT's files, so hopefully you'll see them being put to good use! Check these maps and district info:


North Side
Iron Side
Downtown
West Side
East Side
South Side
Indicates an Area Admin Center

1. Greenbrier
   
2. Convention
   
3. Lakemoor
   
4. Grendel Park
   
5. Byetha Way
   
6. Alton
   
7. Northwater
   
8. Northshire
   
9. Newton
   
10. Pierview
    
11. Port Abbot
    
12. Rail City
    
13. Carnegie
    
14. Industrial
    
15. Rustwood
    
16. Warehouse District
    
17. Iron Coast
    
18. Edison Estates
    
19. Waldon
    
20. North Abbott
    
21. Westfield
    
22. Uptown
    
23. The Hill
    
24. Downtown
    
25. Chinatown
    
26. Wallview
    
27. Bakersville
    
28. Radio Village
    
29. [1] Transportation District
    
30. City Hall
    
31. Easton
    
32. Abbott Park
    
33. Gold Coast
    
34. Toma Park
    
35. Southwood
    
36. Financial District
    
37. Hewson Village
    
38. Canal City
    
39. Balzary Park
    
40. [Siggart] The Village
    
41. Memorial
    
42. Central
    
43. Baldwin
    
44. Smithville
    
45. Little Vilnius
    
46. Warner
    
47. Carter
    
48. Abbott Heights
    
49. Bush City
    
50. Prospect
    
51. Little Israel
    
52. Kiedis Beach
    
53. Eastpoint
    
54. Gibbard Beach
    
55. Talbot Center
    
56. Albarntown
    
57. Dawson Center
    
58. Farrell Heights
    
59. Edge City
    
60. Temple
    
61. Sonna Hill
    
62. South Side
    
63. Shoreville
    
64. Abbott Island
    
65. Charnow
    
66. Leavenworth
    
67. Sullivan City
    
68. Tanbrook
    
69. Shadow's Gate

• Greenbrier- Commercial center of the near suburbs, with some residential suburbs.
  
• Convention- Houses the Abbott Metro Convention Center.
  
• Lakemoor- "Gold Coast of the North," wealthy residential neighborhood. Home of the North Side Admin Center.
  
• Grendel Park- Northern beach resort area, home to several hotels.
  
• Byetha Way- Follows the path of the Byetha Canal, separates upper class in the west and north, and lower class to the east. (of the canal)
  
• Alton- Host district of Greenbelt Academy, a private school. The Greenbelt Expressway (NW Rt 3) runs through as well.
  
• Northwater- Small amount of lower class residential; hosts the Abbott Metro Water Purification Plant.
  
• Northshire- Aka "Little England," home to several underground pubs. Shares a border of the Metro-Northwest Line (train) with Alton.
  
• Newton- Middle class neighborhood. The Abbott County Penitentiary is located here.
  ------------
  
• Pierview- Transit district, redirects rail lines to and from Port Abbott and Rail City, Seaton Tollway and Metro-North Line runs through Pierview.
  
• Port Abbot- Medium cargo port. 40% of all freight comes in through this port.
  
• Rail City- Consists of a rail yard, which handles 45% of all freight that comes to the AMP. Also has industrial factories in the Northwest.
  
• Carnegie- Named for the famous industrialist, Carnegie is home to many flats whose residents work in Port Abbot and Pierview. Iron Side Admin Center.
  
• Industrial- Factory center of AMP.
  
• Rustwood- Includes housing for workers that work in Industrial and Rail City.
  
• Warehouse District- Consists mostly of industrial warehouses, storage, and "clean" industry.
  
• Iron Coast- Industrial lots in the north, and low class housing in the south.
  
• Edison Estates- Houses the Abbott Metro Power Plant, as well as workers that work in the Iron Coast.
  
• Waldon- Low-cost hotel neighborhood.
  ------------
  
• North Abbott- Lower wealth residential center.
  
• Westfield- Mixed-use neighborhood.
  
• Uptown- Administered as a neighborhood by the Downtown district alderman, aka the Mayor. The Northburg Train Station is located here.
  
• The Hill- Located between the wealthy Downtown and middle class Westfield and Wallview districts, the extreme poor in The Hill is thanks to budget cuts in the 80's.
  
• Downtown- Located in this district is Sadlum Park, Franklin Square, Abbott City Hall, and the central business district.
  
• Chinatown- Majority of Asian immigrants that come to the city live here. Quite cramped and dirty.
  
• Wallview- Middle class residential neighborhood.
  
• Bakersville-
  
• Radio Village- Home to several news and TV studios, as well as broadcast (radio) stations and newspaper buildings. Also houses Radio Stadium.
  
• [1] Transportation District- The Lordtown Expressway (South Hwy. Rt. 43) and the Metro-West, Metro-SouthWest, and Metro-South rail lines.
  
• City Hall- Although this district doesn't house the actual City Hall, it does house the County Offices, Abbott Metro Courthouse, and the James P. Oslo Federal Bldg.
  
• Easton- Recreational complexes dot this south-central "downtown" district.
  
• Abbott Park- Once a residential neighborhood when Abbott Park was a village, it is now largely a recreational park.
  
• Gold Coast- Extremely wealthy neighborhood, you'll find multi-million dollar mansions and estates, quite rare so close to downtown.
  
• Toma Park- A quiet park area, ringed with residential zones.
  
• Southwood- A lower class district, with the Abbott Canal running through it.
  
• Financial District- The southern business district, the Financial Dist. houses the most amount of skyscrapers outside of Downtown.
  
• Hewson Village- The nearest hotel and beach neighborhood to downtown. Has several great outdoor music venues.
  ------------
  
• Canal City- Divided by the Abbott Canal, the wealthy live in the west and north of the Abbott Canal, which is also the location of Hammond University
  
• Balzary Park- Home to the Balzary Golf Club, as well as several sports complexes and a park, BP is also a nice residential area.
  
• [Siggart] The Village- Long-known as the Art District, Siggart was once a part of the Bakerville village.
  
• Memorial- Home to the World War II memorial, the Vietnam War memorial, as well as the Balkan Genocide memorial.
  
• Central- Houses the West Side Admin Center, along with a small tower district.
  
• Baldwin- Aka the Theatre District, Baldwin houses much of the nightlife of the southwestern districts.
  
• Smithville- The Metro-West Line runs through Smithville, making the district the "gateway" to the western suburbs.
  
• Little Vilnius- An immigrant community for Lithuanians straight off the boat, Little Vilnius is also cramped and poor, a la Chinatown.
  
• Warner- The closest suburb to downtown. Headquarters of the Greater Abbott Metro Transit Authority (CAMTA).
  
• Carter- This district is bisected by Baker Avenue, a diagonal street that runs through Bakersville. Home to the Carter Memorial Convention Center.
  
• Abbott Heights- The western edge of the lower class "progressive" districts. Severely poor.
  
• Bush City- Famed for the Bushland Hills, Bush City is a middle class neighborhood that starkly contrasts its northern and eastern neighbors.
  
• Prospect- Apart form the Eastern edge, Prospect is quite poor and dangerous, requiring 3 full time police precincts.
  ------------
  
• Little Israel- Collection of Israeli immigrants. It differs from its cousins, Chinatown and Little Vilnius, as it is quite safe, profitable, and relatively spacious.
  
• Kiedis Beach- Home to the most amount of hotels south of Downtown, Kiedis Beach is a popular day-trip destination for many.
  
• Eastpoint- A small residential community of wealthy businessmen and the most expensive hotel in the Metro (Hotel Aradostar) are the only tenants of this peninsula.
  
• Gibbard Beach- Another beach-district, Gibbard Beach is actually mostly private estates living on the coast, rather than public beaches.
  ------------
  
• Talbot Center- Industrial area of the South side.
  
• Albarntown- Blue collar residential neighborhood.
  
• Dawson Center- Home to the High tech industry of the AMP, Dawson Center is also famous for its oddly-placed residences.
  
• Farrell Heights- Although mostly poor Farrell Heights hosts several farmer's markets and open-air markets.
  
• Edge City- Famous for its music scene, Edge City is a popular destination for south side clubbers and music connoisseurs.
  
• Temple- Home to the first and largest Synagogue in the AMP, the largest Roman Catholic church in the AMP, and the first Mosque.
  
• Sonna Hill- The famous Sonna Hill is the center piece of this district, which offers fantastic views of the South side.
  
• South Side- Industry, retail, and residential mix in the namesake of the South side Community Area.
  
• Shoreville- Once a suburb, this district quickly attracted middle class citizens due to its proximity to Abbott Island.
  
• Abbott Island- Named after a residentially occupied island in the middle of the Charnow Canal, this is the southern home of the super-rich.
  
• Charnow- Named after the canal that runs through it, Charnow is a retail and residential center for the far-South side.
  
• Leavenworth- Southern warehouse district, high crime and higher unemployment.
  
• Sullivan City- Sullivan City has many hi-rise apartment towers located here, to house many Dawson Center workers in the confined space of the district.
  
• Tanbrook- Southern transit district, although falls short of the volume that the Rail City, Transport, or Uptown districts receive.
  
• Shadow's Gate- The Waverly Tollway (SW Hwy. Rt. 62) runs through this district, which is mostly low wealth residential, but is gaining popularity.

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Can't wait Geoff! It kinda looks like Chicago

Looks great - lots of detail!

This should be very interesting Can't wait to see the progress/final product!

Thanks guys! FYI...the final product may not be for some time...as I am leaving for school in a month and a half, and I won't have an SC4-computer with me :\

Huge Update! Not so much in physical urban content, but massive planning and organization feats have been accomplished!

While looking at the following pictures, please keep in mind that the majority of random rail seen (not stemming from the station) are organization aids, along with the large green names. Also, some pics were taken while my graphics driver was freaking out, so in a few you'll see some odd shapes. (I take no responsibility for accidentally induced psychedelic trips )

BTW I added another map to the top.

City Hall Update

Spoiler:

Abbott Park

Spoiler:

Easton

Spoiler:

Gold Coast-North

Spoiler:

Gold Coast-South

Spoiler:

Financial District

Spoiler:

Transit Update

Spoiler:

Great Update! I can't wait too see this city complete!

Fantastic update! Looking forward to the next one!

OMG! amazing update Geoff!

Wonderful work, can't wait for more!

It looks superb - and has a lot of potential. The finished version will be stunning.

Some great planning you've got going here. If it's anything like your previous cities, it will definitely be something to stay tuned for.

WOW!!!!! That's a crap load of detail! I LOVE where this is going.

Just like any other city, Abbott City's hub of business, living, and skyscrapers is the downtown area. The Downtown area is modeled greatly after Chicago, to the point where I am planning a coastal park on vital real estate. A unique aspect of Downtown Abbott City, though, is the fact that it is quite far above sea level, whereas areas such as Abbott Park and the Gold Coast are a mere 20 ft. above sea level; when Abbott City was 3 separate towns, the rich and busy areas were built on the plateau-hill, which was later spread out into what locals call "The Hill," or "the Slab." It's the most important transportation hub in the Abbott Metro as well, with all 3 highway branches running through, (North, West, South) the various commuter train lines ending/starting on or near the Hill, as well as miscellaneous other transportation networks that link in Downtown, like the Abbott Cab Co., AMBus, and SkyTrain.

Technically administered as a township, Downtown Abbott City hosts the most amount of high rises in the metropolitan area, with the Financial district trailing in second. Downtown urban planners pride themselves on protecting land for parks and recreational areas, rather than strictly for business towers, apartments, and retail locations.


The Downtown development so far:

Spoiler:

Club District

Spoiler:

Winier Park

Spoiler:

Rockwood Plaza

Spoiler:

Perot Center

Spoiler:

Transportation-Downtown

Spoiler:

City Hall

Spoiler:

Super wonderful! This is getting more impressive with each update! btw, do you remember where you got those one-tile blank plazas in the 3rd and 5th pics?

Well organized, but maybe should you wait a bit before showing us these images? Because we can't make any constructive critizes while the city isn't finished It's just my opinion!

Even that, it's really nice, the buildings works well together... I wait for more!

Guillaume.

Thanks guys!

Emperor Daniel: The ones that are totally blank are the Maxis open paved lots, and the ones with the lights are PedMalls

Guillaume: I would normally wait a while, but I will be leaving my home and SimCity for College, so I want to get the most content in before I leave.

Update on some developments I've been working on! (All pics from Downtown are already outdated, as I've made changes to the rail station)

Overview of Downtown


High Rise development in Waterfront-South




This is the All-Metro Station. It handles high-speed rail, commuter rail, and subway traffic.


Built in 1910, the Pearl Building was one of the tallest in the city, a far cry from today's skyline. As Abbott City expanded, a small rail station was constructed on the north face of the building, terminating the Pan-Atlantic Line at the above-ground location. Construction continued into the building, opening up the building's lobby to the station by way of a tunnel.

In 1934, the Pan-Atlantic Railroad Company expanded the station's outbound rail lines to four total sets of tracks, there by easing congestion and allowing more traffic to enter the terminal. That same year, the Abbott Underground Rail System was opened, replacing the trial four station network (Roosevelt Bldg, Winier, City Hall, Waterfront) with a much larger network; a station was installed in the Pearl Building.

In 1935, the PARC bought the Pearl Building, renovated the first 2 floors to be purely a rail and subway station, and renamed it Pearl Station.

The building stayed the same until 1979; at that time the PARC's Abbott Division was bought and integrated into the Abbott Rail Company, and the Company had planned a high-speed rail network in the Metro area. However, construction and funding were slowed to a halt, and the project wasn't completed until 1998. This was another landmark year, as the Metro North Terminal Project, which saw the rebuilding of the train/subway/HSR station, along with placing the platforms and tracks underground, was started. The grand re-opening of Pearl Station was on New Year's Eve 1999, renamed "All-Metro Station," due to the fact that it carried every rail type in the metro; at-time Mayor Norman Veni opened the station, calling it "Abbott's Millennium Station," and hailing in the first HSR train into the station, known as the New Year's Express, which still operates today on the MetroSpeed-West Line.

Seen here on the left is Waterfront-North Terminal, the true Downtown terminal for the MetroSpeed Northwest and North lines.



Next, we're going to take a trip down to the Financial District, just a short drive through Easton and Radio City, or just take the Lordtown Expressway, and you'll end up in Abbott's southern business district. Banks, companies, all federal offices all have headquarters buildings in this district.




As a bonus until next time:

Very very great update Geoff!

But its strange there's a golf in the middle of a CBD

Actually, the golf course is entirely in the Gold Coast, only the first hole and the clubhouse is located in the Financial District.

Great images - and I really like the beach as well. I always find it hard to make good beaches so when other people manage to do it I admire their work a lot.

Very good update Geoff! I especially like the construction sites in the third picture

Thanks guys! I'll try to get one more update before I ship off for school next week.

As for the beach, I kind of cheated with the people

OMG!!! Now I look up to you for American city building. Great work, and nice city planning.

Thanks for the comments guys! I feel so inspiring haha

I should be posting an update soon!!!