Building The City

[Smid]

Well, as far as that kind of thing goes I like the idea of mixing docks with other heavy industry. But what should the language of this city be?

Yeah, I like an industrial city with docks and heavy industry and some very strong Labour-voting constituencies, so long as there are enough Tory and swing seats that either party can form a majority in council. Perhaps also a popularly elected Mayor, as well?

[Smid]

Le Havre actually looks pretty good (on Google Maps) - not too large, but large enough to be financially able to make lots of decisions.

[Smid]

Actually, voting patterns in Melbourne are quite interesting. It's numerous municipalities across the greater Melbourne area, but has very distinct Conservative/Labour areas (or Liberal vs Labor, given that we're talking about Australia). I put a couple of primary vote maps in the gallery the other day, but I'll put in another few showing seats parties won, etc).

Here are the links (I won't post the image because it'll create a large post which doesn't relate precisely to the thread).

These three maps are the Upper House vote recorded, but done according to the Lower House electorate. This is to try to anull any personal vote an incumbent might have in the Lower House (since the Upper House is predominantly a vote for a particular party).

Greens vote: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/GALLERY/2482_09_09_09_3_16_35.PNG
Labor vote: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/GALLERY/2482_09_09_09_3_17_54.PNG - look particularly at the Melbourne map (top one). You can very clearly see Labor's heartland in the west, north-west and south-east. The pink areas are typically upper-middle class to wealthy and the red areas (excluding the inner city, where the greens polled well, thus drawing down the Labor vote) are predominantly your average suburbia/swing seats.
Liberal vote: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/GALLERY/2482_09_09_09_3_18_54.PNG - not specifically about Melbourne, but some of the lightly-shaded areas in rural Victoria are strong National Party areas - so the Liberal Party did poorly but they're still very conservative.

Here is the election result, showing which party won each seat. The Independent was an incumbent, and an incumbent independent was defeated in Mildura, in the state's north-west corner. Two seats are 2PP Nationals vs Liberals, and four are Labor vs Greens - read my comments for details: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/GALLERY/2482_16_09_09_11_29_49.PNG

This is the result of which party received the most votes in the Upper House, according to the Lower House electorate. It's effectively the same as the numerous maps on the site for FPTP elections in other countries, although minor party votes are probably inflated, given that this was STV rather than FPTP. https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/GALLERY/2482_16_09_09_11_44_36.PNG

I like the idea of chemical factories and steelworks. I think both foundaries and petrochemical factories are the sorts of heavy industry that frequently are surrounded by low-income working class households.

[Smid]

Alunsby?

How about Port Alunsby?

[Smid]

I think I'd like VIII, unless Hashemite wants it. If he wants it, I'd appreciate XIII.

I found this website about Le Havre: http://www.ville-lehavre.fr/delia-CMS/quartier/index/article_id-/topic_id-456/danton-rond-point.html - Google can translate, I think. It might give some ideas about some of the areas out there.

[Smid]

So how many wards will there be in the city - and roughly how many wards per district?

[Smid]

For VIII, I'm thinking it's probably sort of two in one. The half to three-quarters closest the city is upper-middle class, professionals who work in the city, are quite well off but can't afford to live in VII, and therefore live slightly further out, commuting daily. The outer half/quarter is more recent development, still middle to upper-middle class, but been built more recently and more resembles suburbia. The closer part is made up of larger older houses and is considered "leafy" (I assume you use the same adjective in the UK?).

Am I on the right track?

EDIT: I'm pretty sure this was my last post in the thread, so I'm going to develop VIII here, rather than a new post later which is going to be after your later post on the various city wards.

VIII - St Alban and Sunnybrae

The suburb of St Alban to the north of Stovesby Centre was initially settled by industrialists and bankers in a period of Stovesby's rapid growth during the Industrial Revolution. St Alban has always been considered attractive due to its nearness to the city. Many of the homes date from the late-Victorian era, and the tree-lined streets are still desirable.

In more recent years, wealthier citizens have moved to the costal suburbs to the west, however St Alban has remained an upper-middle to upper class suburb. Most residents are professionals in financial and legal fields, who work in the city.

St Alban is well-serviced by public transport, with an extensive light rail/tram network from the city centre running up most major roads.

Further out from St Alban, the middle- to upper-middle class suburb of Sunnybrae has recently been developed. Only two of the tram routes servicing St Alban currently service Sunnybrae, and few residents can rely on public transport to get to work. Improvement of public transportation has been a hot-button issue in Sunnybrae, and the last council election saw a popular (albeit losing) independent running a single-issue campaign on the expansion of the tram network in the area.


Photo: Davis Avenue, St Alban, is a fairly typical street in this leafy suburb. Photo courtesy of Google Earth.

[Smid]

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=102332.msg2189369#msg2189369 - Just so you can see what I've done. Am happy to adapt it if necessary (travelling for the next few days, but after that). I'll delete this post later so it doesn't get in the way.

[Smid]

Other than St Albans perhaps being confused with St Albans, that's fine

I'm not quite sure I follow. Is there a St Albans that is too famous for this to have one? There's a St Albans in Melbourne (which I presume was named after somewhere in Britain) which is a really working class area, but I always thought it sounded like a nice name.

[Smid]

Other than St Albans perhaps being confused with St Albans, that's fine

I'm not quite sure I follow. Is there a St Albans that is too famous for this to have one? There's a St Albans in Melbourne (which I presume was named after somewhere in Britain) which is a really working class area, but I always thought it sounded like a nice name.

Yeah, St Albans in Hertfordshire. Though St Alban or even St Alban's would cause no problems.

Corrected!

[Smid]

Idea for a little bit more character within areas: suburbs.

I love this idea, personally. That's sort of how I was thinking when I separated St Alban and Sunnybrae.

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I love how you snuck Chadstone and an anglicised version of Murrumbeena (for those not in-the-know, that's the part of Melbourne where I live) into the map. Any chance of switching Sunnybrae Fields and Chadstone over? Your blue/purple area combined was pretty much precisely what I was thinking of Sunnybrae in my original description.

Sunnybrae was actually a reference to my part of Brisbane - Sunnybank (which was initially called Sunnybrae, but changed to Sunnybank fairly early on in its settlement).

The photo of St Alban was actually Davis Avenue in South Yarra - just around the corner from that Thai restaurant we went to that time.

[Smid]

Hehe, I was about 95% sure it was South Yarra.

Can you spot the other couple of little Australianisms? I made the switch, btw.

I've noticed Upfield, and Blighville (in case it's named after either the Queensland Premier or the early Governor of NSW) and I suspected Phillipton to be a reference to Port Phillip Bay or the early name of the settlement where Melbourne is today. I also wondered if New Port was a reference to Newport out near Williamstown.

I was a little surprised you went with Murrumbeena - I would have thought you'd have chosen the other railway station here rather than the suburb - Hughesdale.

[Smid]

Cardinia is on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne, and one of the major water reservoirs is there (and in this game, it's where the also essential power station is)

I should have got that one.

No excuse for missing Parkville though, and I thought Roeville (Rowville in Melbourne) would've been quite clear too .

I spotted Parkville initially, but missed it when I was typing up my post. I really should have spotted Rowville since I used to live in the next suburb over (but didn't spot it).

Healestown is stolen from Healesville, New Port is kinda sorta stolen from Newport. While not stolen from Melbourne, Gwydir should be familiar to you, and Berrigan is a town in NSW (and also a nearby street here in Canberra).

I had also spotted Healestown/Healesville in my initial read and likewise Gwydir but again missed them when typing my post. Berrigan sounded familiar, but I thought it might have been because of the Rugby League player.

[Smid]

(In character)

Obviously given the clear communities of interest between Stovesby and other more developed municipalities in the Greater Stovesby Area, our city should be expanded to include Gormby, Prestsley, Wedlock, Lenningsley and Morsby. The other areas, being less urban, should not be included in the expansion of the City of Stovesby.

[Smid]

(IC)

Cr Courtenay raises an important point - that the rural and mining districts in Stovesby should realistically be released into the Shuttsby, Castle Derton and Normorley municipalities, assisting those councils to provide better services to their ratepayers, through the increased income those municipalities would be able to raise from the areas currently in Eastern Stovesby. The City of Stovesby collects enough rates to not require the small amount collected from those wards.

[Smid]

(IC)

I never thought I'd see the day on which I agreed with a comment made by a Councillor Watson but it seems that today is the extraordinary day on which this rare conjunction of opinion has occurred.

It is vitally important that neighbouring urban districts be incorporated into the City of Stovesby. Not just for the planning purposes, so eloquently referred to by Councillor Finlay-Hamilton, but additionally for an improvement of municipal services in the Greater Stovesby Area and indeed the outlying areas of the City of Stovesby on the current boundaries.

For too long, this Socialist Council has neglected the needs of my constituents in Sunnybrae, who are forced to tolerate substandard bus coverage with only two bus routes. It is easier for my Sunnybrae constituents to drive to work or to conduct their grocery shopping or to visit a picture theatre in Wedlock than it is for them to drive or take a bus to the central areas of their own city!

The inclusion of surrounding urban districts will force this lazy council to act in improving Stovesby's public transport network. It is therefore imperative that we expand our municipal boundaries by incorporating urban areas to our north.

[Smid]

(IC)

Like the numerous criminals I locked up during my time in the force, Councillor Courtenay advocates the forceful collection of money from those who have worked hard to get to where they are today. He holds up his petty jealousy as a virtue and presents class warfare as an ideal.

Taxes are a necessity, and the wealthy citizens of Stovesby pay their fair share of taxes with the expectation that all of those in the greater public will benefit through the provision of services - not merely those of Councillor Courtenay's ilk, who hold out their grubby hands while contributing nothing to society.

Instead of supporting the expansion and provision of services throughout Stovesby, Councillor Courtenay sponsors division and pushes for services to be expanded for only those he deems worthy.

[Smid]

(IC)

My apologies, Lord Mayor, I withdraw any reference to Councillor Courtenay's nefarious activities.

[Smid]

Councillor Findlay-Hamilton is spot on with his comments about improving public transport in Stovesby. The best chance we have of creating an integrated public transport network is by incorporating our neighbouring urban districts, such as Wedlock.