City Hall

[afleitch]

So, can I call arrondissement number one Deux-Rives/Centre? Could somebody translate that into Dutch [google doesn't take it, two is twee and centre is centrum??]. And the name in Dutch will probably be the name to be used, to be like all others.

Edit- I won't be using Riddersveld for sure, btw

Sure

[afleitch]

And for the first 5 to name theirs, just something I knocked up.



And yes there's a spelling mistake

I - Shows the older architecture of main square
II- Shows the meeting of northern european style with Paris style boulevards that make up much of the area
III - Shows part of the university complex and surrounding homes
V- Shows the main shopping street in this working class part of the city. Notice the eclectic style showing some art deco and art noveau inspired buildings.
XIII - Suburbia, showing the buildings of the old town built when it was outwith the city.

[afleitch]

A snapshot of a side street shows the contrast of turn of the century town architecture with immediate post war storied suburban residences with well tended public spaces.


(I will post same size versions of the other 5 later)

[afleitch]

How dod you get those snapshots? I love them.

Individual 'tiles' from Sim City 4. They were modified - Dutch set, French set and a few from the UK set including high rise and 60's architecture for when that's needed.

[afleitch]

The city at it's bleakest, but don't tell that to it's inhabitants. Oudedokken shows it's spacious 60's design with emphasis on green spaces. Community groups today help maintain these spaces and refurbishment and redevelopment has been touted as a goal for the area. A few older stone dock buildings remain which have potential.

Nieuwedokken is more brutal, but also practical as it serves as an industrial port first and residential area second. While unemployment is lower here due to the docks, the housing stock is some of the worst in the city.

[afleitch]

I'm suprised III is well..free. Prime inner city real estate here

[afleitch]

Schematic of the Metro system almost done, with names so far.

I don't see any need to hurry tis along too fast. I think it's fair to flesh out the city before we meet to form a council.

[afleitch]

I'll claim III, and if I may, I'd like it to be called Sint-Bavo ('St. Bavo'; the patron saint of Ghent and Haarlem ).

My activity will be severely limited this summer, so I can really just help make up the numbers for the time being.

May I take the liberty to grant you the city Cathedral - and by extension the Metro stations of Kathedraal and Sint-Bavo?

[afleitch]

Nice idea

Will read through thread to see if there be any areas left I might be interested in.

Most of the working class estates south of the half completed ring road are free.

[afleitch]

Very good

I'll home in on 20th Century history a little bit.

[afleitch]

The early 20th century saw the consolidation of Kolinsjatohaven as a thriving port and industrial city, with coal mining abundant in the hills to the south of the city. The previous century had saw the city structurally and philosophically adopt a Parisian style with sweeping boulevards and parks and the cut and cover construction of the first metro line from Stadhuis to Universiteitplein. While the city emerged unscathed from WWI, the city fathers saw fit to move away from the past. They approved the construction of new docks to the north, a project completed by 1935. The city also attracted artists and architects, including students of the great Victor Horta. The city flourished, but deep class divisions remained. The occupation from May 1940 to the spring of 1944 brought an end to this new found confidence and many thousands of the cities Jews were removed from the city most never to return. The spectre of collaboration hung over many of city residents for decades to come. The city picked up after the war, with expansion in all directions; with new housing in the hilly south and suburbs to the north and east and absorbing the gemeenten of Duikersheuvel and Rijksveld. However the city suffered an immediate set back in 1953 with much of the city underwater after the North Sea floods. The damage also put an expected end to the productive life of  southern docks. The 1960's saw the clearance of the docks and the building of high rise and high density flats to the east of the city. The Socialist city government of the 1970's however began a series of prestige projects including the extension of the existing metro, the cleaning and dredging of the river and the careful restoration of the downtrodden Old City. The 1980's saw a further housing boom in the suburbs and a boom in light industry and service industry, with the striking glass roofed Haven shopping centre opening in 1990. The city was named European City of Culture in 1998.

[afleitch]

Nice idea

Will read through thread to see if there be any areas left I might be interested in.

Most of the working class estates south of the half completed ring road are free.

Excellent

Lists of what taken and what's free is on the front page.

[afleitch]

Ernest and Sam Spade have already taken the dirt-poor parts, but there's still Wards XV and XVI.

As the south of the river is hilly (and was once a barrier to development), I always had the intent on a region to the south of the city being a coal mining area - still fairly active too (like Charleroi) I thought of it as more settled but socially mobile and fairly homogenous working class area.

[afleitch]

Ridderveld is still there. Just because Hashemite didn't like the way it translated into French doesn't mean it's not a cool name.

If it's not used, I was thinking of giving one of the two periphery towns outside the city (which we may wish to absorb) the name.

Moving on to possible comittees here are three examples :

Transportation
Planning, Development and Infrastructure
Housing and Public utilities

These are not quite independent of each other as there are links between them. For example Transport would have to work with PDI and Housing would also have to work with PDI. If there are new housing projects, then of course Transportation has to take those into account.

Comittees produce plans (after much bargaining) and those are implemented either in whole or in part. Everything is ultimately voted on or voted down by the Council.

So there are three sides to the game - being the individual local mayor (which means you get to customise your patch) working in comittee and sitting and voting on the council

[afleitch]

Andrew, would you mind creating a map based off the map of the city's environs, but with neighboring city and ward boundaries labeled?

I'll give it a shot. Means I have to get round to naming the area.

[afleitch]

Andrew, would you mind creating a map based off the map of the city's environs, but with neighboring city and ward boundaries labeled?

I'll give it a shot. Means I have to get round to naming the area.

I can help.

I'm still trying to think where the hell it is I now have Belgium in my mind (there is a bias there). It's not replacing Brussels but instead seems to be an Antwerp sized city.

[afleitch]

Andrew, would you mind creating a map based off the map of the city's environs, but with neighboring city and ward boundaries labeled?

I'll give it a shot. Means I have to get round to naming the area.

I can help.

I'm still trying to think where the hell it is I now have Belgium in my mind (there is a bias there). It's not replacing Brussels but instead seems to be an Antwerp sized city.

I was thinking southern Netherlands/northern Belgium. Don't know why.

As was I. Slightly inland North Sea port much fought over.

[afleitch]

What are Dutch-Flemish place-names usually based around? Churches, geographical features, people?

A quick look at the list of municipalities suggests that they're based on geographical features for the most part.

Given that much of Flanders, Netherlands is flat (but not featureless) things from a small hill, to a copse to a promintory seem to take on a significance. Sometimes therse were man made. Bruges for example stems from the Norse Bryggia meaning landing, port.

[afleitch]

Afleitch, any ideas for restaurants around town? In the Frankfurt parliament, ideological groupings were named for their meetingplaces.

I quite like that idea.

Also kudos to Al's map. I'm going to do one myself

[afleitch]

Any parties formed would probably be formed around on of 3 blocs, Christian Democrats (with as little Jay-sus as possible, with a few homourable exceptions), Socialists/Social Democrats (stable) and Liberals (of the European kind) Throw in some fringe parties, Greens and Fortuynists.

But if we have thee Liberal Parties for exampled remember to work together and vote together

[afleitch]

Still waiting on that map...

I didn't see the point on anythinf more detailed. The black lines are the provinces (the city is self governing) and the grey lines are the boundaries of selected urban gemeenten

[afleitch]

Mr A. Cleymans

There isn't a hope in hell of an RER style mass transit system 'ring' ploughing through Duikersheuvel unless you are prepared to run it underground, or at least through a 'cut and cover' scheme at significant cost. Duikersheuvel was not given to the city simply to be used as 'free' land for a transport hub. I am however pleased with your plan for re-configuration of the Metro. Any reconfiguration of Metro lines pre and post extension must also ensure that Duikersheuvel maintains a direct link to the heart of the city via the Oranj Lijn. Your plan recognises this.

Outburst aside...the prevailance of bus routes connecting the west of the city beyond the ringroad is entirely unnacceptable and these can often be brought to a standstill at rush hour. I am supportive of any attempt to extend the Metro in such a direction if it is seen as cost effective to do so. Duikersheuvel is of course the 'end of the line' for the Metro and there is little need to extend it further from that stub.

Furthermore I agree that we must work to extend links beyond the city boundary. A southern tram network, the Zuidtram connecting the city beyond the ring road and running lines to neighbouring towns (alongside key connecting lines to the centre of the city) could be an option. I will draft proposals for consideration at a later date. The cost would be split between ourselves and our neighbours as they would receive as much benefit from the link as our own suburbs.

[afleitch]

What about Kolshaven?

[afleitch]

I think the Yellow Line Proposal is simple yet brilliant. I understand the concerns regarding Zwarte Vallei which have hampered previous efforts to extend the Metro in that area. I believe that it would be significantly cheaper to use the cut and cover method (by which the metro is constructed directly below main streets through means of a shaft before being covered over again by the street) rather than traditional tunnelling methods. Cheaper still would be the option of bringing the Metro to beyond the Ring without means of a tunnel; either constructing surface light rail or creating 'pre-metro' tram system, with trams running underground in the centre of the city (see Brussels for details)

Pre-metro

[afleitch]

Ideas for Committees:

Transportation
Public Works
Housing
Business
Revenue

I'd slightly amend that, but one the whole they are pretty good. Bear in mind that cities and Europe are responsible, to varying degrees for delivering and managing the welfare state at local level. A Welfare committee combining schools, education and health initiative programmes would be good for this. I wouldn't have a Revenue Committee, but I would have a Planning committee that combines fiscal management, with planning approval, city wide plans.

So if we keep 5

Transportation (all ready kicked off)
Public Works (Catch all - also deals with the mundane, like refuse collection)
Planning and Development
Welfare and Housing
Business and Enterprise (working closely with Planning and Development)

There are links between all of them really. While not everyone will be on committee, each player will be allowed to attend them and ask questions.