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Creating Interesting Cities

Shadoe

Sage
For the most part you're absolutely right. But I personally find the aerial shots more useful because of the specific stories I'm writing. Neither of them would have cities that look like any kind of city in existence today. In one, I need to rely on my imagination more than anything else. In the other I need to rely on research and recreations. In both works there's a heavy chance of warfare (in the first, it would depend on how the series progresses, in the second it's almost a certainty) and I need to understand how they looked from the air. The aerial layout and the formation of the walls are all designed strategically for a military advantage. So that's what I find interesting.
I was speaking in a more general sense. I move so often, I find that most places are pretty much the same when you first get there. They all have basically the same stuff. I'm betting that most places in a fantasy setting are the same. Granted, they probably wouldn't have the same exact things (there's the bank, there's the high school, there's the McDonald's), but they would have their own same things (there's the hostelry, there's the inn, there's the hanging tree).

Either in fantasy or reality, I do like to look at cities from the air. The layout of them is interesting. The town I'm in now, for instance, has twin rivers (it's called "Two Rivers," in fact). The city down the way (Manitowoc) also has two rivers. But one has a single river off the lake that comes in for a block or two then splits at right angles. I can't think that's natural. The Manitowoc rivers begin as one off the lake, which then twists and turns and then splits into two and then seems to want to braid itself.
 

SeverinR

Vala
In your example that actually is a very wide road. German cities are normally bad examples for old towns because after the destructions of WW2 there was no reason to not modernize them. Look at old towns in other countries. You can often touch houses on both sides of the streets at once. In the bigger streets.
That means bigger streets that have not been widened for the needs of modern traffic.
They do have those narrow streets in Germany(or did in the 80's), but I can see your point.

For some reasonably good examples of what a city—particularly a walled one—would resemble, try searching for images of the following:

• Carcassone (the one you'll find by far the most of; sadly, very few are aerial), Avignon, and Narbonne—what might be called the "standard set"; all are in France
• Rothenburg (Germany)
• Dubrovnik (Croatia—that one surprised me: post-war repairs were done in the original style, to retain its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation)
• Mdina (Malta… and, yes, that's spelled correctly)

…along with a few smaller places I hadn't seen before, making me glad I went looking:

• Saint-Paul-de-Vence (France)
• Gordes (France)
• San Gimignano (Italy)

All three of these are probably closer to the "originals" than most others you're likely to find. Keep in mind that, even here, at least a few streets have likely been widened—and straightened—for automobile traffic… which should give some notion of what the places were like before that. And, of course, you should pay attention only to those parts actually within the walls: a good aerial photo of Dubrovnik will readily demonstrate the difference in spacing based on which side of the wall the buildings are on. There are plenty of others (especially in Spain, Portugal and Italy), but I wasn't nearly as happy with the images I came across, compared to the above.

Why is this list limited to walled cities, nearly all on hilltops, nearly all in the southern half of Europe? Because that's what survived… not "survived" their own individual histories, but that of the last couple centuries. I'm sure there are a few locations not on hilltops, and maybe one or two that weren't walled, that haven't changed a whole lot over time—but the removal of either of those conditions, let alone both, makes it far less likely the original configuration was maintained as being too much trouble to seriously alter.
I love looking at the old cities, even just the buildings alone are interesting.

In ten years when I am amazingly rich as I'm sure to be (please dear god read that with sarcasm!) I am totally buying houses in three or four of those cities. That is awesome! Thanks for sharing, Ravana.
I would be happy to be rich enough to visit Europe again.
 

DameiThiessen

Minstrel
Here is my check-list for creating a city or country for my stories:

1. Protection and Defence - How are they prepared to protect or defend themselves? Or attack others?
2. Food and Agriculture - Where does their food come from? What kind of food is there? Are the people fat or thin?
3. Infrastructure and Transport - Styles and function of roads, buildings, and transport systems
4. Emergency Procedures - How are they prepared for an attack or natural disaster?
5. Natural Resources - Water sources, wild animals, plants, etc. and how they are treated and used
6. Health - Doctors and medicine. Do they have access to medicine or is it too expensive for the common man?
7. Justice - How laws are decided and enforced
8. Energy and Waste Management - Power sources and disposal of waste (ex: sewer)
9. Education - Is it public or private? For common people or just the elite?
10. Finance - How taxes are extracted from the public and spent by the government
11. Human Services - The condition people live in, services provided by the government, typical jobs
12. Dependency Ratio - Able to work population VS Unable to work population

If you go through this list and describe how your city functions on each level, then before you know it you will have the raw materials to form a distinct culture. :) It works for me, I hope it works for you.
 

Ravana

Istar
Good list. I might add the option "or do they exist at all?" to a couple (education and health, at least as you present them: there may not be any doctors or medicine, for instance), but I'd agree that basic decisions on all of those should be made for any community.

I'd add "trade" to the list; "industry," in the sense of what they do with their resources; and "relations," which can be an important factor even when considering cities within the same country. I think that probably covers just about everything that's going to be common to all cities. (Having said that inevitably means I've forgotten something vital that I'll think of in the middle of the night.… :p )

Most other factors can either be viewed as subcategories of the above ("communications" might be important enough to break out from infrastructure, depending on how you view it… and any attempt at a comprehensive list is going to result in something unwieldy in any event), will be societal factors that may or may not be city- or country-specific (language, religion), or won't be universal to all communities or settings (minorities).
 
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Shadoe

Sage
I would think there would always be some kind of doctors. Granted, they may not be the guys in the white coats, but usually there's some kind of medicine woman at least.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
These are all great topics. I think a city is best defined by the organizations which play pivotal roles inside the city, and most of them are probably connected to some of these topics.

In my opinion, one of the ways you can add the most distinction to a city is to figure out which of these elements you want to play a prominent role in a city and figure out the organizations which are behind them. Give a personality and a voice and characters to the element in question.
 

Ghost

Inkling
By the time I make a post, people have already covered all the points I had in mind. Oops! I won't talk about mapping or placement of buildings, but I wanted to add to the idea of twists for cities. These are things I think about.

First, I look at climate, geography, and topography. Maybe the city is situated in wine country or a deep valley. The land and resources inform the architecture and infrastructure. In a restricted area, overcrowding pushes people to build upward. In a less restricted area, there may be sprawl. The getting water could be a daily chore, and the sewage system could be awful. Getting from point A to point B could take a long time, especially if the roads are multi-use between humans, animals, carts, magic carpets, enchanted carriages, etc. Another thing to look at is the history. If the city changed hands a few times, it will have a mishmash of architecture and cultures. Parts of a city that burned down often get rebuilt in the current style. Economy and exports, or what supports the city, are important too. If they have a lot of clay, it wouldn't be surprising to see bricks. If the region is known for weaving, there may be stall after stall selling rugs and tapestries. Placing it at a crossroads or along a trade route can add some outside cultural influences.

Demographics are a good way to distinguish the city. A predominance of certain religions, ethnic groups, and social classes changes things. There might be more educated people because of universities or attractive jobs. After a war, there may be less able-bodied men. The city's relations with the surrounding area, other cities, and the country are important. Everyone else in the country may look at that particular city as a cesspit. The city could compete with a twin city. The people in the surrounding countryside may think the city-dwellers are rude, pompous, loud, and smelly. People inside or outside the country may romanticize the city. Who the people in power are and how they're viewed is interesting, too.

The cultural significance is my favorite. Is it a seat of learning? Is it a strategic military base? Is it the center of an art movement? Is it a manufacturing hub? Do the nations movers and shakers work and reside there? Are the politics different here than in other cities? Give the city a personality. People can characterize the mood of a city. they may think of it as laid-back, conservative, sophisticated, stressful, boring, festive, lavish, quiet, etc. Even cities I've never visited conjure up certain words because of all the descriptions and stereotypes. How would you describe the personality of Paris?

It may help to engage other senses. Does it smell like baking bread? Fried food? Fish? Horse shit? Dust? Sewage? Incense? Not counting people's voices, what sounds do you hear? The ocean? Bells? Pigeons? Farm animals? Sawing and hammering? The wind?

Sorry for the long post. I've got to hit submit before I add more!
 
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Leif GS Notae

Closed Account
I think the thing everyone might be glossing over is HOW a city is built as well. The method to the madness and what happens when a city stretches out from being a minor outpost in the wilderness or a small village to some monster that eats resources.

I've always started with where the origin of the city started. I build out as I can and determine due to sprawl and development where the traditional locations such as commerce, aristocracy, slums and the like appear. Eventually as you get the lay of the land, you can start seeing what you want and how you want it to appear via description.

Also, don't discount the surrounding wildlife dictating the design of the original city as well. Bears, lions, dragons, moose with bad breath weilding enchanted hockey sticks; all an be dangerous threats to a fledgling city as well . . . Ok, maybe not the last one; unless you are in Canada.

Edmund N. Bacon's Design of Cities and The City Shared by Spiro Kostof are great books to have as they discuss some of this matter and why certain cities were designed the way they were.
 

Ravana

Istar
I wouldn't bother with the Kostof: it's got about twenty useful pages in the whole 350-page text. And about five times as much pushing his agenda or theories. Glance through it at a library and move on.
 

Leif GS Notae

Closed Account
I wouldn't bother with the Kostof: it's got about twenty useful pages in the whole 350-page text. And about five times as much pushing his agenda or theories. Glance through it at a library and move on.

Perhaps, but that is up for a reader to determine. Even if they only come across with twenty pages, it is still more than they had to start with. Besides, sometimes it is good to see an agenda to see why people are so fervent about an issue.

However, this is up to the reader.
 
One thing I like to do is let the environment of a certain place shape the essence of the city-- if the city is in some southern land with beautiful rolling hills of green and rushing waterfalls, you might add some unique creature (fireflies can be great inspiration for this, I used them for a few different things) that reflects the calm of the land. Conversely, to develop a similar "warm" feeling for a northern, bitter city, you'd want to devote your effort toward developing a culture of fireplaces, pubs, and close family (possibly too close in the bitter seasons, cause for some tension). In the southern city everything is outside-- the city is built with the expectation that people can move great distances in the course of a day. In a city where it is often or always very cold, the layout design of the city will keep in mind that people will not walk very far to get to any given place. This affects everything from the number of stories in a building to the size of an apartment or townhouse to how people behave with one another (lots of individual space as opposed to being locked in close quarters being the central cause of this).
 
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