Step One: Generating a Design Concept!

For me, the design concept is very important. Not only do I intend to create a new world, but I plan to play it extensively (and either move my legacy family there or start a new legacy). Not all parts of the concept will be as important to others, particularly if they are building a world for someone else.

My design concept includes considerations of the following:

• The history of the world (including its current era)
• The climate and major geological factors (mountains, bodies of water, etc)
• Overall zoning of the world: urban (city or town), suburban, rural (villages and hamlets), etc.
• Planning: breakdown of zones (uptown, downtown, waterfront, etc.); uses (where certain things occur); location of monuments and things of interest
• The character of the world, including: 
• Demographics: Who lives in this world? Is it homogeneous or diverse (ethnically, financially, etc)
• Architecture: style of the public buildings and homes
• Ecology: flora and fauna

CONCEPTUALIZING:

First, I do two major things simultaneously. I think up a history for my world and I decide on the major geological elements. The reason I do these at the same time is because I won't know what I want the world to look like until I have some idea of what will occur there and what has occurred in the past.  I also want to give the various places in my world a depth and richness that a history can offer them. I do a lot of sketches as I think up these ideas (some of which will be scanned and posted).

1. Location: Mainland facing west
2. Era: present day
3. Age of the world: Old - with architectural evidence of the past 200-300 years and some suggestion that the world is much older. 
4.  Demographics: Heterogenous ethnically, financially (housing ranging from 16,000 - over 100,000)
5.  Zoning: 
1. A city with adjacency to flat farmlands: a civic center, a residential quarter, an entertainment district, a historical quarter, and the waterfront/marina.
2. Luxurious homes in the hills overlooking the city with a large vineyard property (or two) nearby.
3. Rural farmlands outside of the city with widely spaced ranches/farms.
6. Geological factors & climate:
1. A river to the west - where the coast meets the water may be craggy or abrupt (not particularly smooth, which means, no sandy beaches)
2. Rolling hills to the south
3. Tall hills or a small mountain range extending in the north from east, to the western waterfront.
4. Across the river, a flattened waterfront that flows into hills/mountains.
5. Terrain: lush
7.  

While I do some conceptualizing, I look at precedents: real cities I can draw inspiration from. I google some elements, and compile images. For example, I'll search for "marina", or "city by the water" and save images that I like for my world.
Also, Google Earth is incredibly helpful.

The cities I looked at for precedent studies:

1. London
2. Paris
3. Edinburgh
4. Stockholm
5. Copenhagen
6. Naples
7. Barcelona

All of the cities are on the water, either rivers or seas. I decided to adopt London, Paris, and Edinburgh for my main inspiration in planning and geology. I liked London and Paris when I as trying to decide the general organization of my streets. The waterfront area in London is very much what I wanted for my world. There is water without beachyness. I adopted the idea for my marina from Paris (and because I needed some way of dividing the city proper from the rural area otherwise, there's nothing to keep a city from just sprawling into a larger city, no reason why it would suddenly become rural). I also love the city of Edinburgh. It has a wonderful combination of nature and built environment. Unlike Paris and London, it isn't flat. There are hills within and around the city.

A BIT O' HISTORY & WHAT NOT

This world is imagined to be part of a larger country/kingdom. In the past, it was an oligarchic (probably monarchical) society. The majority of the buildings in the civic center belonged to the former royal compound. The city used to be a important home for the royal family. In present day, the royals vacated the city, moving their headquarters elsewhere and the town gained some autonomy. It is led by its own popular leader (TS3 isn't really democratic, is it? - this reminds me, how cool would it be if sims on the political track could be voted out of power?). The civic center is a "square" and most of the original royal buildings are there. The former royal palace has been converted into the National Gallery (art gallery/museum). The original National Opera (entertainment venue) forms another corner of the square, the third side of the square houses a new modern city hall. The buildings face a public park/plaza. Around these three major buildings are historically preserved and modern buildings that include a hospital, fire & police station, library, hotel, and the residence of the Leader of the Free World.


Around the civic center, there is a residential area. This predominantly be a mixture of old and new townhouses and low/mid rise apartments. There may be one or two detached homes, but because of the urban context, most homes within the city proper are "attached". The historic district is an area near the civic center with both residential and commercial properties. It is considered the historic district because the buildings are all old and there are no cars allowed within the district. This will be a colorful and vibrant place (I'm imagining a bit of the French Quarter, with some of the architectural character of San Francisco, etc) with narrow pedestrian streets and charming shopfronts.


The city flows into the riverfront. Along the edge, there are narrow green parks and more residential homes. The river will branch into the land and create a smaller waterway which will house a marina and divide the city proper from the rural area.


With these inspirations and images in mind and my rough sketches, I'm ready to open CAW.