The milestone episode, almost two hours long. Strawberry City Airport gets trees, fences and a bus loop past its parking lot, plus parking bans so cars use it. The airport's built-in crime and garbage problems remain. Cedar District grows next to it with hotels, a science centre and an expo centre, and a new train station. With the city shrinking, Japanese gardens, libraries and the big Briar Rose Park with a baseball field go in. I delete the whole subway and rebuild it with a station in nearly every block, borrowing five million to do it. Springvalley finally reaches 100,000.
What happens in this episode
Episode 50! Yesterday I spent two and a half hours building the airport from Episode 49. It works, which I didn’t fully expect. Then I googled the crime: the Airports DLC airports always report crime and garbage problems. Two police stations sit right next to the terminal. It’s a shame that has never been fixed.
How it was built
Out of money
Decorating the airport emptied the budget. I didn’t want a bailout and let the game run to recover.
Fences, trees and parking
Bushes too close to the tarmac go, trees go in with the Forest Brush, and an airport fence keeps people off the airfield. The airport’s parking lot was empty. A bus loop goes past it, and roadside parking around it is banned, which is the sneaky trick. Cars pulled in right away. Part of the interchange gets a one-way detour.
On the way to 100,000
The service check: power and water are fine, and so is garbage. Elementary schools are short, high schools more so. Traffic flow is at 84%, unemployment at 4%, land value is high, and only fish is imported.
Cedar District
Next to the airport, a tourism district rises with hotels, inns, a science centre and an expo centre. Being close to an airport is a good choice for an expo. A new train station and a bus line link it to the hotel district.
Losing citizens
At 87,000 the city was shrinking. More parks help: my favourite Japanese gardens go in everywhere, and libraries, which made a visible difference quickly. A new grid district with bike avenues follows. Then comes Briar Rose Park, a big green belt by the highway. It has restrooms (there’s nothing worse than a big park without restrooms), gazebos, playgrounds and a baseball field, with trees at 15 to 16 m spacing so it doesn’t look cramped. At 90,000 I break up a grid with denser homes and commercial.
A whole new subway
Traffic was at 83%, and the subway annoyed me. I deleted the whole network and rebuilt it with a station in nearly every block, plus a new avenue through the park. To be honest, I borrowed five million to finish it. Taxes went up, and people complained.
Trains at the border
Trains are queueing at the map edge again, with people lining up to get in. A missing connection was part of it. I may finally need the 81 Tiles mod. A stadium park with gates and more offices follow, because demand is high.
100,000
Finally: 100,000 citizens. Thanks for staying through such a long one.
Video chapters
- 00:00Crime and garbage at the airport
- 04:00Out of money
- 09:45Fences, trees and the parking lot
- 14:18A bus loop and parking bans
- 18:21Service check on the way to 100,000
- 23:47Cedar District and the expo centre
- 29:52A train station by the airport
- 34:21Losing citizens, waiting for funds
- 38:29Japanese gardens and libraries
- 47:11A new district with bike avenues
- 51:55Briar Rose Park
- 57:10A baseball field and tree spacing
- 1:01:2990,000 and denser blocks
- 1:09:22Deleting the whole subway
- 1:13:36A station in every block
- 1:24:19Tax complaints and a loan
- 1:33:42Trains queueing at the border
- 1:42:12A stadium park and office demand
- 1:55:39100,000 at last
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Why does my airport have crime and garbage problems?
It's a long-standing issue with the Airports DLC in Cities: Skylines 1. Even with police stations right next to the terminal, the airport keeps reporting crime and garbage.
How do you get cars to use a parking lot?
Ban roadside parking in the area around the lot with TM:PE and add a bus stop nearby. Once curbside parking is gone, cars start using the lot.
Do libraries and parks help population growth?
They raise happiness and land value. In Springvalley, libraries made a visible difference quickly, and new parks helped empty lots grow.