Need help just....building a city!

Ok, so guys, I have like a major major obstacle to SC4 right now. I just can't get myself to build a city. I get to building, but then I think something looks griddy, or the suburb I'm trying to make looks bad, and then I just scrap the city. I can't get myself to build anything. I build a small thing, like a road, and then think, oh shoot how am I going to end this? What am I going to do with it? Stuff like that happens to me. I can't build anything. I need help building a town, or just doing something!

Can anyone help me through this "Builder's Block" that I've had forever!

Well, the trick is that you don't have to follow guidelines into building a good city. (Primerica Stuff kicks in): The trick is to grow your city, just like growing your business. You will mess up on your first couple of tries, but redoing it multiple times will make you a good city builder. You will have to look into couple of options:

1) Cities are an architects' canvas. It is important that your imagination comes first. Do not follow any guidelines, break the rules of city building if you have too.

2) Simplicity = Great!
(Frank Lloyd Wright Quote): "Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art."

Making your stuff simple and manageable can express your planning more. You told us above that you are afraid of a grid system. Don't be afraid! Remember that some (if not a majority) of the cities began in a grid formation, not just American Ones:

Japanese Cities:


More Examples:
Barcelona (Spain), Ouagadougou (Burikina Faso), Beijing (China), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Most Major American Cities.

The irregular patterns you see in the suburbs are only formed in the United States. Irregular City patterns are only common in older European Cities (such as London and Paris).

Rationale: Imagination, Imagination, and Imagination

That makes me feel a little better, but then I get hyped up thinking my city doesn't fit into my regional plan. Should I just start a city with dirty industry, small homes and low commercial and just build?

Start with an agricultural area with a small town, then grow it

You should be able to diversify when you grow it out, and it will fit

The thing is I have a metropolitan region. No room for agriculture.
Should I start a new region for agriculture? Also, should I use spam?

I have had the same problem for months.

Spam is great for agriculture! I recommend it. Whenever I start a city, I look for a nice, flat place with lots of room next to the water (Carl always yells at me for this). I start with the downtown and expand outwards, but that doesn't always work very well.

Depends, you can do it like that (I'll call it the "sunrise method")

Jack wrote:I have had the same problem for months.

Spam is great for agriculture! I recommend it. Whenever I start a city, I look for a nice, flat place with lots of room next to the water (Carl always yells at me for this). I start with the downtown and expand outwards, but that doesn't always work very well.

I've been trying to start my metropolitan region, but I can never decide on where to build my first city, and I freak out over if it should be R, C, I, or a mix, or whatever, and then I get frustrated lol.

I might start a new region for agriculture, and I'll build some agriculture then inwards a little I'll build a nice city and then maybe let everything flow. I have a nice big region I found I think I'll use. I'll put the current region on hold for now I think.

I hardly ever use industry except for a space filler. And then for farms. Really, if your city looks pretty and works, you're good.

Don't think too much about it, but planning is always good. Make sense? I hope so, because I'm not even completely understanding myself.

Lol OK I guess