Simcity - This Civil Engineer's Perspective

I'm a registered Civil Engineer inwards California as well as take away maintain worked inwards the San Diego Land Development manufacture for the past times xvi years.  Today I was thinking almost the similarities as well as differences betwixt SimCity as well as existent life province development.

Land Development
One matter nosotros commonly practise inwards province evolution is to report a raw slice of province as well as create upwardly one's heed what precisely tin last built on it. Every site has it's limitations, based on geography, biology, archeology, planning zone or other local ordinances.  In San Diego County, that tin last pretty challenging because of our natural terrain.  Our county is total of canyons, mesas as well as hillsides.  For the most part, if there's a plot of province that's tardily to build on, someone already has. The days of beingness give a plot of province similar Matisse Plains is long gone.

Even if nosotros practise take away maintain areas that tin last easily built on, in that location are oft unseen factors which come upwardly into play.  If your biologist finds wetlands, approximate what? You take away maintain to proceed your evolution footprint 100' away. Have some steep slopes? You likely can't build in that location either. Want to build inwards hillsides? Make certain you lot move out some other 100' buffer to cutting the brush downward for burn safety.  Archeological sites? Yep remain away from those too.  Then there's the other unseen factors: existing H2O aqueducts, sewer torso lines, large box culvert tempest drains, easements, outdated maps for holding lines. The listing goes on as well as on.

Buildable Area & Neighborhood Design
On residential projects, 1 time nosotros create upwardly one's heed where precisely nosotros tin build, nosotros practise what nosotros telephone weep upwardly a Preliminary Grading Plan or Yield Study. We assay to jibe inwards every bit many units every bit possible to come across what the maximum set out of homes volition be.  If your site is relatively flat, a grid pattern volition yield the highest set out of units.  But just similar inwards SimCity, a grid is rather boring, as well as commonly non a identify that you'd last rattling proud of when complete.  A squeamish "look as well as feel", squeamish parks, skilful access to education, volume transit, as well as jobs: These are the factors that sell inwards today's market.  The Sims are similar inwards what they want, except for the "look as well as feel". That commonly comes downward to the SimCity mayor. Some of us similar to build for apartment out high yield, creating grid patterns of high density depression weatlh, which concord upwardly to 1.5 Million. Others similar to build themed cities: Mega Resorts, minor hamlets, placidity High German villages, a seaside metropolis amongst an entertainment park, or a mini version of Paris.  I've fifty-fifty seen a desert cactus farm built inwards SimCity.

City of Cactus Fields past times Thayne Mercer of the SimNation Guild

Utilities
As civil engineers nosotros are responsible for the "Wet" utilities: Sewer/Water/Storm Drain.  I'll take away maintain a hold back at each:

Storm Drain
When nosotros pattern a residential development, nosotros create upwardly one's heed non exclusively where the tempest runoffs volition flow, but how much H2O volition last carried inwards the tempest drain system. We create upwardly one's heed whether or non the existing tempest drain is large plenty to handgrip a "100 yr flood", as well as calculate what size the on-site tempest drains demand to be.  SimCity has none of that, which is genuinely pretty nice. Hydrology calculations are complicated, take away maintain a long time, run on DOS based software, as well as frankly aren't that much fun (sorry to all the hydrologists out there, it's non for me). Good selection Maxis.

Water
I commonly don't take away maintain to bargain likewise much amongst H2O pumps similar nosotros practise every bit Sim Mayors. Most of our H2O comes from the Colorado River or from Northern California. My chore is commonly to detect the right pipage to connect to, ensure there's plenty H2O delineate per unit of measurement area as well as and therefore connect to it. We'll pattern the development's H2O system, but for the most business office we're just connecting to an existing system.  Thank you lot No Cal, proceed the H2O flowing southward every bit good every bit the SimCity patches.

Sewer
Sewer is likely the trickiest of the 3 moisture utilities to pattern because it's commonly a gravity organisation (naturally flowing downhill), as well as dissimilar SimCity you lot can't just dump it out on the ground.  Even though we'd never practise that, my biggest pet peeve amongst SimCity is beingness on the sewer stance as well as watching sewage time period uphill. It tin last accomplished amongst a pump, but nosotros avoid it at all terms because pumping is expensive, patch gravity is free.

The San Diego Sewer System

When water goes downward my drain or I level the toilet, it flows downhill to the sewer organisation inwards my street. That sewer organisation as well as therefore leads downward the street out of my neighborhood, as well as therefore downward a canyon, eventually leading to a organisation of large pumps that ticker all of San Diego's sewage to a handling found inwards Point Loma, which is treated as well as and therefore discharged 2 miles off the coast inwards the ocean.  As civil engineers it's our chore to pattern a sewer organisation that tin utilize the natural gradient to convey that sewage. This aspect is completely ignored inwards the game, although nosotros practise take away maintain to detect a location for the regional sewer treatment. Due to the amount of infinite sewer handling takes inwards the game, as well as the fact that it commonly occurs inwards a far off corner of a city, I would prefer that in that location would last a Great Work that could last done to handgrip all the sewer, or only pay a fee as well as last done amongst it.

Sewer as well as Water facilities seem to e'er take away maintain upwardly a lot of room.

The Design Team
As a civil engineer, you're working every bit business office of a squad amongst an architect as well as landscape architect that are largely responsible for the "look as well as feel". Architects pattern the buildings as well as everything within it (in tandem amongst a Mechanical, Structural as well as Electrical engineers). Civil Engineers pattern the streets, the grading of the site, the moisture utilites, as well as convey the utilities to the building. Landscape architects pattern the landscape as well as hardscape surrounding the building. In SimCity, the Sim Mayor makes all the decisions as well as you lot tin create whatever type of identify you lot desire to create. Best of all, there's no approving from Board of Surpervisors, City Council, or voters required.  +1 to SimCity.  (And no, I wasn't involved amongst whatever of those projects that are linked to.) The downside to beingness the sole individual inwards accuse is that you're non e'er the most creative person. I oft come across people complain that they are disappointed inwards their ain metropolis inventiveness as well as that they autumn into a oestrus of making grid cities. This is where architects as well as landscape engineers excel. +1 to existent life architects.

Fun
The best business office of working inwards province evolution is seeing your pattern constructed as well as ultimately used for it's intended purpose. It's rattling satisfying to drive closed to as well as hold back at the places you lot designed. Whether it's a main planned community, neighborhood, resort, park, shopping center, or novel roadway, it's apartment out cool to come across people utilization the "place" that you lot had a mitt inwards creating.  The practise goodness of SimCity is that you lot tin come across that procedure sped up.  Instead of waiting months or years, you lot tin build an entire metropolis inwards a couplet of hours or days. The sense of satisfaction from completing a SimCity tin last rattling similar to how it feels to consummate a existent project, just on a much smaller scale.  It's why I dearest SimCity as well as bask sharing data almost how best to utilize the province inwards the game. It's non bad fun as well as tin last rattling satisfying seeing something you lot saw inwards your caput come upwardly to fruition.

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