This is an interesting city concept, Hugh.
I'd say that you should decide how much you want this city to be 'planned' and how much you want it to be 'organic,' as that choice will play a big part in the street layout. Remember, that they don't have to be mutually exclusive: a city may have started being planned but then grew naturally beyond the original layout; or alternatively an 'organic' city may have planned neighbourhoods added at later times.
Your first WIP, I think, is much too tightly cramped and the layout is far too random. Your second WIP is very formally laid out: all your streets seem to be fairly evenly spaced and parallel to one another; it's a very interesting look, but it would only be possible through formal planning all at one time.
To get the 'organic' look that a lot of medieval towns have, you should consider making your central avenue something other than a perfectly straight line: even if there are no obstacles to construction, humans don't tend to walk in perfectly straight lines. We take shortcuts, we meander, we don't concentrate, we have different destinations and goals, etc. I'd recommend deciding where your city began and how (a group of merchants setting up shop beside a highway; some soldiers wanting to extort a toll from passers-by; sea-going traders wanting to create a suitable supply port; an ambitious king wanting to control a strategically crucial position; an innkeeper wanting to benefit from passing trade, etc.), and then start thinking about how and why it expanded:
- did it start in the middle and expand equally fast in both directions? If so, why?
- did it start at one end and expand to encompass the entire bridge? If so, are there any overflowing areas on the mainland?
- what landmarks and buildings are important in this city, and when did they appear? To help you, here are a few ideas:
- where do the people go to work?
- where do the people get their food?
- where do the people go when danger threatens?
- where do the people go to worship?
- where do the people go to relax/socialise?
If you want an 'organic' look to your city, my main recommendation would be this: do not allow any roads to be perfectly straight, as that is not a natural thing for people to do (note that a perfectly straight boulevard may have been added later, eg if some ruler demolished houses and shops in his way so that he could lay out such an avenue). Equally important, do not give way to 'street spaghetti' - that is, streets that wind so much that they look like spaghetti or brains. Streets are likely to curve and bend
a little bit. It never hurts to check out some historic town maps - try looking at maps of central Paris, Vienna, Brussels etc. There's even a feature in Google Maps where you can measure distances, which I do frequently to get a reference for how wide streets may be, how large buildings are, etc.
As it happens, I started mapping a city with a similar feature: my city of Birdseye (which you can see - unfinished -
here) began on a high pillar of rock jutting out from the mainland. At some point in the city's history, a monumental bridge was constructed (not as large as yours, but big nonetheless), and over time the bridge became the foundation for an entire district of the city, and the city's main marketplace.
Hope that some of that helps.
Wingshaw
Originally Posted by Wingshaw
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