Downtown Fair Banks starts fading into suburbs: the resource view reveals oil, ore and fertile land further out, so farms will follow and homes stay closer in. Row houses and low-density homes mix on terrain left unlevelled, a pedestrian bridge crosses a side street, hickories and lindens fill gaps, a forgotten high school is fixed, and Birdsong Glen gets every policy available.
What happens in this episode
The plan for episode 11 of Fair Banks County: let downtown descend gradually into a rural region, the way it already does on the other side. The last episode added a passenger station on this side of downtown, a forestry industry and more stone mining. A beachy area may become a tourist spot later, and I want the transition to happen quickly so the dense city doesn’t swallow everything.
How it was built
Resources decide
Before building I checked the resource view, and it was worth it: oil, ore and fertile land further out. The pollution view, which also shows the wind, says no one should live near future mining. So the city fades out over three or four squares, and farmland takes over beyond that. Always check the resources so you don’t miss an opportunity.
Slopes kept, not levelled
A mix of row houses and low-density homes went in, and it worked better than I expected. The best part: I kept the slopes instead of levelling everything, and a small pedestrian bridge crosses a side street. Many builders would flatten it, but this looks far nicer. Hickories, which I love, and lindens fill the gaps. Lindens are a classic where I come from, and every garden enthusiast loves them.
Fixing a missing high school
A coverage check showed I’d forgotten a high school in this part of town. Only an elementary school was there. A playground is demolished to fit a fully upgraded medical clinic and a school, which also makes room for a bigger road. The technical university, at 1.6 million, felt too urban for here.
Low-density streets and policies
More alleys, a small roundabout and low-density zoning fill the area, with some low-rent homes mixed in. I wondered whether they’d affect crime or attractiveness. A “high rent” warning usually means there isn’t enough work nearby or people are paying too much. The district tool is something I love and hate. Birdsong Glen gets energy consumption awareness, recycling, roadside parking fees, speed bumps and more. A hundred pets live there. I’m team cat, for the record.
Smaller blocks
The blocks here are deliberately smaller and less square than downtown. When buildings won’t spawn because the game can’t decide which way they should face, a temporary path helps. Planting trees here felt a bit like Bob Ross painting a cityscape, and the area reminds me of Toronto. A train line along a future industrial strip is still to do. From here on, I wanted shorter episodes.
Video chapters
- 00:00Plan: a rural edge to downtown
- 06:10Resources decide: farms further out
- 17:04Keeping the slopes, a pedestrian bridge
- 21:07Hickories, lindens and a missing high school
- 25:28Low-density streets and a roundabout
- 31:07High rent and district policies
- 35:13Smaller blocks, a Bob Ross moment
- 39:27Shorter episodes from now on
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Should you level the terrain for suburbs?
Not necessarily. I kept the slopes here; row houses stepping down a hill with a small pedestrian bridge over a side street look far nicer than a flattened plot.
Why check natural resources before building suburbs?
You might find oil, ore or fertile land where you planned homes. In Fair Banks it showed the outer squares should be farmland, so the suburbs stayed closer to downtown.
What does 'high rent' mean in Cities: Skylines 2?
Usually that there isn't enough work nearby or residents are paying more than they can afford. It often points to a lack of jobs or customers in the area.