SimCity and Urban Planning/Introduction

Given the potential use of SimCity games in urban planning courses, this book will explain how various real-life planning concepts have been incorporated into the game. For game-players, this will add depth to the explanations of elements of the game. For educators and students, this will allow this book to function as a 'study-guide' for courses which use SimCity to introduce basic concepts of urban planning, design, as well as government, and fiscal management. So, for example, the section on Building Transportation will include a description of the importance of transport planning in real-life urban planning, as well as its incorporation into SimCity.

Note for SimCity4 users Many tactics used in older SimCity games (SC2K, SC3K) do not apply to Sim City 4 (SC4) and later games. Although most of the basic concepts are still there, many parts of the game are completely different. See "SimCity 4 Concepts" for more info.