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Nantozito

Posted by DematyMaps on 13 April 2018 in English. Last updated on 14 April 2018.

After some thought, I decided that much of Nantozito, the capital of Aháas, just did not look right to me. Therefore, I also decided that I wanted to redo some parts of the city. I was wondering, given the geography, could anyone here provide any tips as to the city’s new layout so that I may improve it?

Location: Liyohau, Equator Islands Council, Equator Islands, Cambria, Vodeo

Discussion

Comment from Alessa on 15 April 2018 at 00:08

Hi, Dematy.

With what you have so far, here are a few observations that should be mentioned first:

  • The motorway tunnel is a bit unrealistic given that it is nearly 12km long. It’s not impossible from an engineering perspective, but it is going to be exceedingly expensive. Even the most complex and lengthy tunnels through harbors and urban areas cost billions. I just don’t think it’s feasible. (What if you had the motorway be on the surface and go on the west side of the bay?)
  • The railways look like they’re actually trams, which explains the tight curves. If they are actual rails, I’d suggest you read Eklas’s excellent bliki posts on building proper railways.
  • The bent grids in the old town of Nantozito might seem off given that they are in an irregular non-radiating pattern with sharp angles. If you had a grid that featured angles closer to 90 degrees, perhaps mostly in the 80–100 range, it might help. This doesn’t mean, by the way, there can’t be multiple grids.

Those items, I know, are superficial in that they are man-made. The river you have, which flows into the harbor north of downtown, is a bit awkward. Topographically, there wouldn’t likely be a river here. There might be a gulch or a wadi, but a full river is unlikely. Even less likely is that its source would be so far inland. There would need to be some type of very prominent feature to force water to flow this way. I suggest removing the river, to be honest.

The promontory that the city is on would likely be high ground. Imagine that it is, for a moment. This means that your grid in the old city would follow the contours of the hillsides. The area closest to the old harbor would be really dense. From here, radiate the main roads (not motorways) outward. Think 1890s! Horses and wagons can’t handle too much in the hills and would need flatter terrains. So, the main roads would then follow the elevation contours too. Then, build out from there. Don’t worry about the motorways or trunk roads until you have the outline that follows the pattern of some type. Next, the downtown area, while it still could be a new development, would probably be more modern—or a formerly separate city that has been merged with Nantozito and has its own feeling.

I hope this helps a bit!

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