Gonna hope on the top comment to add that the NA animal enclosures would probably have thicker landscaping to simulate a boreal forest. Bison would probably not do well in the Verde Beach sun.
@@USdude101 in America we have Pronghorn’s which are sometimes colloquially called antelope because they look like antelope, though they aren’t technically. I grew up thinking that’s what they were until I got Zoo Tycoon in middle school haha
Hey, I worked in a Zoo quiet some time, and what most people tend to forget is that there are lots of ameneties and buildings for storage, management and personel. maybe the slim path on the lake could be a place for that. Otherwise great improvements and great episode!
I'm no zoologist, but having done my own research and played a significant amount of planet zoo. I know that many animals would not appreciate being surrounded by paths and 360 access. This video inspired me to take a crack at introducing a more realistic zoo to a city of mine with proper animal privacy and "backstage" areas that are for staff only. certain animals have adjacent containment areas which are completely private. Could definitely have some fun with the scenery and fencing assets to create the illusion even if they're not actually used by the game :) Great video as always!
Exactly this. Zoos feel very "natural" but guests actually see relatively little. Modern zoos are designed as homes for the animals first, with careful planning for humans to peek in.
While the weeds and bushes do an all right job of filling that empty space between the exhibits, I think scattering in some small/medium rocks and/or new grasses here and there would give the zoo that extra tad of character! Great stuff as always! 🤝
Hey Phil, you could've created a brand new neighbourhood out of the reclaimed land and given it the self-sufficient housing/green cities specialisation - it'll keep the environmentalist soul of its original purpose. You could call it Flamingo Shores or Elephant Rapids
In the spirit of using assets from other parks, I'd suggest adding the Park Info Booth from the normal City Park assets. Maybe not at every entrance, but at least 1 in the park. You always need a good map or other info!!
Worked at the Philly zoo for years and I think you’re spot on with the concessions you’re mostly spot on, I would consider also adding some of the cabin and lean to assets, we had similar things in our zoo. Also consider that zoos usually have a marquee exhibit, like THE draw, I think with this zoo it would be the lake and the marine exhibit so by the entrance to that area there should be a ton of food and souvenir options, like we had 3 seperate food places at tiger terrace not to mention there was the guerilla exhibit right next to it and it also had a ton of food options with a big picnic style eating area. As for paths behind, I’m no zoologist but we didn’t have a lot of paths behind exhibits that were open to the public, there were public paths in the front and employee paths in the back to get supplies from the warehouse to concessions quickly or to get transport animals from the vet to exhibits plus employee access to the zoo period that had access to a mostly private road where parking was reserved for employees and members.
I absolutely love that you are revisiting some of the older parts of Verde Beach. I really struggle with Zoo layouts too so this is a double beneficial episode for me!
I think the new high density residential would be a sustainable district. Or maybe even a pedestrian zone. I mean it's a former park and right next to the cities big nature reserve.
(1) I think the zoo could benefit from a few more seating areas & restrooms, especially as you get further away from the entrances. (2) Since zoos are all about preserving our planet, I think it would make sense for the new neighborhood to be Green Cities buildings instead. (3) How many times would Burning Palms burn down while it was getting reworked (if it was to get a rework that is)?
The new zoo looks very beautiful. I have a few observations, tips and suggestions here & there: 1. 15:47 to fix the broken zoning when you eliminate an intersection, delete the affected road segment and do it again, it'll fix the zoning. You'll have better luck repositioning the gate (or any non-growable building) after you place it. If you want to center a building (like the gate) at an intersection simply place it, delete the road & then redo the road with all snaptools disabled except for angle, then line the end of the new road with the center of the big blue arrow pointing to the entrance of the building. Then create a new road perpendicular to the road ending at the entrance of the building to have an "L-shaped" road. Finally, convert the L-shape into a T junction & voila! Perfectly centered building at an intersection. That said, due to game mechanics, it only works with local/local roads, local/collector or collector/local roads. It doesn't work with collector/collector. Basically narrow/wide & vice versa, but not wide/wide. You'll end up with the Building Is Not Connected sign. 2. The parking lots not being aligned with Park Street makes them look odd & off-putting to be honest. It could use a do-over. They're aligned with the Zoo Blvd. May I suggest making Park Street perpendicular to Zoo Blvd for the parking lot area, and then curve it to meet the Park Street Bridge. It'll eliminate the odd shaped empty areas & look much better. Maybe reduce parking lots from 2 & rows to just 2 rows. A giant rectangular looks better than 2 boxes ... Unless, maybe, a dog park for the vacant area? 3. The new high density development could use a couple of pedestrian paths to the Zoo Blvd alongside a couple of bus stops to maximize the efficiency of the existing bus line. 4. The metros at the Metro Station between the Campus & the Zoo seem to get gridlocked regularly because of the 3 lines going through 2 platforms. May I suggest putting an OG Metro Station right next to the P&P one you have there? It'll fit perfectly. It's a great solution to have 3 metro lines with a very small surface footprint. (All you need is a 3x3 space to fit both stations, technically less as its a 1x3 & 2x2).
I agree, would be great to see a bit of variation in the vegetation as you move through the zoo. Maybe add some targeted areas of colour with flowers, adding in an area which may be more arid around the African enclosures, vs rainforests around the Asian, then maybe some more flowers etc. Near the birds. I don't know how viable this is in game as I haven't played a whole lot myself, but I think it would add a bit more character to the zoo
Usually in zoos you don't have paths around all 4 sides of an enclosure, at least not an open path for everyone. Usually the back of an enclosure is where you keep stuff stored, have smaller enclosures to separate individuals if you have more than one and don't want them togheter when eating or something, sometimes it's where they eat, so usually the back of an enclosure is an staff only place
i love new builds, but phil, your recent uploads where you revisit old builds with better skills, newer assets, and more mechanics since you first built them... i am absolutely ENAMORED with redevelopment videos. so interesting to look back on the history of not just builds, but cities that are fully alive and as always, very realistic in that they change character and change over time. love it, keep up the amazing work, man! ❤
I get so excited seeing a new cities skylines video from you. This content takes my mind off consuming too much social media with the added bonus of learning about city planning. Thank you for all the effort you put into these !!
Phil - lately I have noticed your videos have taken on a different character. I think you recently hired a new editor. I have got to say the two of you are working together beautifully. I personally like how you began including a prelude to the video. It’s well done and a joy, as always, to watch. Bravo!
Thank you... unfortunately the editor didn't work out so, it's been 100% me lately. It's forced me to get better at editing and, truthfully, I've been enjoying getting my hands deeper into the videos. I think I've been thinking of going without and editor and comments like this make me feel like it's the right choice!
@@CityPlannerPlays really? This has been all you? Yes. I feel like your videos, by enlarge have a new and refreshing character. Well done. If I could make one request. I feel this may be on behalf of all of us. We really like your channel and your content, please please please don’t burn yourself out. It would be a tragic loss.
Wow watching you redevelop old parts of VB unlocks core CS memories for me back when I was a super noob watching the first episodes of VB when they came out, it's amazing to see the zoo redeveloped, love the fact that the city changes so much over the years like a real city. 🤩🥰
I would also use to opportunity to turn the zoo into a giant botanical garden with special kinds of trees and plants in it. Not sure if it can happen in vanilla, but my point is Landscaping could be something you visit there too.
Really lovely work as ever, and I think the lush detailing and landscaping at the end looked great. Only change I would make is that you put the huge parking lot right near one of the smaller entrances, and the main gate has little to no parking so it only accessible via public transport. I'd switch those two around, so the people using public transport (likely to be smaller groups, couples or even individuals) would be split across the three smaller entrances, and the people coming by car (most likely larger families with kids) have the bigger entrance with more space for them to get in and out.
the zoo really does look great - like the new changes and is significantly more logical in terms of the layout I would however consider adding in a few of the tree paths back along some (but not all) of the paths in the zoo - perhaps some of the main ones as the paths and the zoo as a whole does feel a bit empty without some of those tree paths that were there before just a suggestion however - a GREAT video as always - really, really enjoyed it and as always cannot wait until the next one 👍👍👍
This new zoo looks so much better! One aspect of zoos that you might consider is putting an admin building someplace hidden from the park, given that it's a large place that likely employs hundreds of people. There's a zoo beside an observation tower here in my city, and from the tower you would be surprised to see just how big yet well-hidden the admin building is.
When I worked at a zoo, the pathways behind and sometimes next to enclosures were usually for staff to access whatever needed done in the enclosure. :] Love the upgrade!
This renovation looks great! I think the café, souvenir shop and bathrooms from the Amusement Park and City Park should be mixed in more and/or swapped for some of the zoo versions. This could produce a theme and differentiate the area of the zoo someone would be in. I also think having having steep berms/hills such as an artificial looking mountain or volcano is something you would see at a zoo/theme park. This could create a interesting landscape, provide another destination in the park and break up the zoo a little better. Finally, would it be odd if the Sterling Family Zoo was renamed or edited? Some sort of backstory could work, perhaps someone helped renovate it through funding?
Since there just simply aren't enough exhibit assets in the game, I think one way around this is to use the fences to create your own DIY habitats. Sure, there won't be an animal roaming around (unless a stray animal just ends up stuck in there), BUT it would add the realism of volume into the zoo and you can do many small exhibits along routes. I think it'll also tie everything together, making things feel more connected and whole.
Could you somehow elevate the water source into the rock feature to transform it into a waterfall? It's not the height of realism but that could create more topography in the park and provide more spectacular views using other park assets.
Very nice zoo, here are some things you could add. 1. A staff only area consisting of maybe a warehouse or two and a lounge 2. Not all zoos have this, but the one in my area has commercial around each entrance. Most of it is a place to eat and souvenir shops. 3. As another commenter has said, the animals probably dont appreciate being surrounded on all sides 4. The Elephant enclosure 5. Some green space/areas to relax and eat, maybe add a vanilla park or just some benches under a tree.
A lot of zoos are designed with an eye toward reproduction. The ones that need more privacy while raising their young need to be less exposed - big cats in particular are apt to get stressed out if the public can get near on every side. Also if you want to get carnivores to reproduce (of course species coordinators have the final say in the zoo world, good zoos don’t just allow random reproduction), you need to place them so they have a view/smell of some good prey.
Went a little crazy with the weeds, I think. It makes sense for some, more open areas of the park to be wild. But in those areas where the paths are redundant, I would have liked to have seen some flowers or some custom plazas for sims to relax and take in the surroundings.
the split-screen city tour made my brain hurt. it's a cool idea, but i think doing the normal before/after shots would make the changes easier to appreciate. the zoo does look awesome, i thought you'd be abandoning VB after episode 100, but i'm very happy that you didn't
50:07 This drives me wild. It seems realistic to me to ask for a fence but also a missed opportunity for then for pedestrians accessing the businesses from the rear, or sitting out with a coffee on the river side. In my city it's often business associations opposing pedestrianisation despite proven increases in activity from it
So this is gonna be quite a long comment. So something I definitely would've done differently was between the artificial river embankment and Sterling Zoo Boulevard the area in between dips down when it looks like they are around the same height. Not a big deal and you made it work and it feel natural having some slight slopes to a place. Another thing, I think you should definitely place some tall grass and weeds on the bumb between the lake and the river to make it feel more natural and make it look better. And I know this was probably unintentional but the way the new redevelopment road pretty closely follows the old path is satisfying to me. It's like instead of them ripping the path up only later to come and build a road where it once was, I felt like they paved over the path to turn it into a road (almost kinda how sometimes it's done in reverse for hiking/cycling trails). And if I recall correctly does the city/state government own the zoo? And did they find the revitalization project? Cause I would expect that the other government owned property across the street (Burning Palms National Forest) would also be getting revitalized soon too to increase the land values and not to not be left behind. You usually see massive projects lumped together into spending bills to further increase support and get the community involved in how to revitalize and redevelop land that was owned by the properties. Overall this was a much needed revitalization over what had become the old and decrepit Sterling Family Zoo, I absolutely love the new zoo and can't wait for your next video.
All i was thinking is, what if a child is playing at the expanded seating restaurant next to the lake a d falls in, the rapids he made will yank that child out to the ocean before anyone knows it's gone. There aren't fences keeping people "safe" but wouldn't need fences if the water was calmer.
This zoo still covers a big area, and since you were speaking of having accessibility in mind too, I really think there should be a transit option inside the zoo, to get around quickly. Also, I think that's something you see in a lot of places. Cable cars or monorail make a lot of sense in a situation like this. it would also help a lot with all the empty space between the different exhibit sections!
I wasn't around when the first iteration of the zoo was built, so it was very fun to see an archeological examination of the site once it had been cleared! Fun to see how your gameplay has evolved. Still hoping a VB developer has plans in the works for a big downtown investment :)
Love the zoo rebuild, looks 1000% better than the old zoo. I would vote for the carousel to be included. My family likes zoos and have visited a lot of them, and they almost always have a carousel (for whatever reason). It's a shame that the Pedestrian assets aren't compatible with the foot paths, because some of the new plazas (food trucks, ice cream, flowers) would integrate well into the zoo. Also liked your commentary on the old water pipes: "NO". 😆
A restaurant with some of that outdoor seating and perhaps a gazebo would look nice on one side of the lake opposite the zoo exhibit. And I am not sure about a lot of other places but our zoo here had a small botanical garden next to the indoor exhibits for things like lizards and insects. The whole rebuild on the zoo looks really great!
Honestly, I wouldn't mind adding rocks to the river again to make some rapids again. You may not be able to put them under the bridge, but that's not a bad thing. I, for one, wouldn't mind standing on a pedestrian bridge and spend a little time looking upstream at a little rapids. Gives the flow a bit more character instead of being utilitarian; a man made river instead of just an overflow outlet. Putting a few rock features by where the outlet starts might also play around with the water physics enough to get the lake a little fuller before draining without needing to mess with the landscaping. However, I'm not sure why you put the antelope with the "North American" species, as they're predominantly African. Also not really a fan of "cover every square inch with weedy undergrowth". To me, at least, if feels less "lush and natural" and more "neglectingly overgrown". It honestly feels like if you could, you'd cover the entire map with that stuff first and then start building a city.
Man after getting used to mods it is so weird even seeing vanilla anymore. It's still impressive what the base game can do... but the QOL improvements that mods bring are hard to go back from. Especially TMPE and Move It. Playing without those suuuuucks now.
Great 👍 episode. I know in vanilla it is difficult to add non DLC assets, if you could figure out a way, the bio dome, bird & bee haven and possibly the riding stables would be nice additions. Totally over board suggestion, A small cable car network, they would link to the sections of the park and most importantly cross over the new lake.
@CityPlannerPlays If You were to live in Verde Beach and free to pick any place in the city, what would You choose? You could find "Your" house in the city and give it a name, I think that would be cool. :)
I really love the redevelopment episodes. They are a great way to see the nearly infinite ways you can use a space. Given the age of the zoo, and the redevelopment, I suspect the zoo would do some major rebranding and "family" would be dropped from the name. "Come visit brand new Sterling Zoo!"
Heavy landscaping between different enclosures would be cool too. I'm sure it would help isolate animals from eachother + provide a noise barrier. Also Dublin Zoo has this and it creates the effect of walking through nature/a forest. It's neat.
With zoo design you have to balance the needs of the visitors, animals and staff which is why some enclosures may have paths all the way around while others dont... being watched from all angles is a welfare issue for most animals, there are staff areas and off-show enclosures that are kept out of view from the public, and a lot of zoos are specifically designed to only give visitors the best view possible into the enclosure. In terms of the in game exhibits, I think it's just Cities Skylines being Cities Skylines
@13:42, since this zoo is so centrally located, people shouldnt have to drive to it. Imagine a downtown of a large city building parking when there is Excellent transit and existing metro lines servicing the area. The parking Should be modest.
Im not a Zoologist but my partner has been working at a zoo for close to 5 years now. They say that the 360 paths are a bad idea. Almost all Zoo animals have some natural predators and giving them no safe zone/space where they can't be watched would stress a lot of these animals out tremendously. Most zoos just have paths in the front and maybe some 270 degree paths but even with those there are big private areas for the animals behind the open enclosure.
Did you ever use the shipyard unique factory. Because I have a hard time imaging that with the multiple ports and how widespread boating is, alongside the local metal and oil production there wouldn't be one as part of a industrial dock area, most likely with a second cargo port.
hey great work! I know it's a zoo and not a "park" park, but I do feel some plain grass areas would be good for families to have picnics and let kids run around where currently everything is weeds.
Really like the upgrades to the zoo and to the new riverwalk. One thing I disagree with though is that businesses would require a fence to be constructed between them and the riverwalk. In Atlanta and Charleston, rails-to-trails corridors that previous went behind buildings are causing businesses to create new outside dining or secondary storefront options that are accessible to the pedestrian traffic traveling in these new corridors.
Consider making the small stretch of the zoo along the riverbank that doesn't actually have any zoo in it a regular park, and moving the zoo entrances to either end of that park. That way everyone downtown can enjoy some of the fruits of the renovation.
i hear you on the zoo assets; why some have a built in snap to path and some don't is super frustrating--and then randomly some have a clear 'front' and some don't! also, more zoo exhibits when? bears, tigers, and polar bears would be great! your finished zoo looks fantastic tho!
Huge improvements all around! I remember watching you build this zoo all those 200 years ago, I am really enjoying the rebuilding episodes you have been doing around Verde Beach recently. One suggestion, the river part of the river walk seems a bit low at the top. Maybe a more gradual slope from the lake to the river would make the quay wall a little less extreme.
45:20 surely the climbing structure would make more sense over by the rocks, no? also 49:28 no you got it right! pronunciation is always relative to the language being spoken, and that's the correct way to pronounce it in English
Why not place the water feature in the center of the lake? It would be completely submerged and still work properly that way you don't have to try and hide it with vegetation.
The zoo would be brutal to walk around in during the summer, no shade! Florida zoos that I have been to are lush with canopy to walk under and through.
Paths vary depending on what type of animal is in an exhibit, what the exhibit consists of, and where the exhibit is located. Paths are placed where guests will get the best view of the animals.
One criticism, please smooth out the grade in the river at least a little bit so there isn't so much of the quay wall above water, it looks ugly and weird imo.
Nice but where are the elephants Also i think there were some signs and benches etc in the previous zoo. Would be nice to add some coin rides for the kids
You pronounced jacaranda trees correctly as far as I’m aware unless I pronounce it wrong too 🤣 they’re native to my hometown here in Australia and in autumn they’re the messiest trees ever 🤣 a lot of fallen flowers from the trees would end up in the river
Jacaranda is not native to Australia. They're still a very pretty tree regardless, and in many areas will only be in bloom for another couple of months.
@@sphereindustries5224 didn’t necessarily mean native to Australia more so they grow n flourish in the town I come from. It’s well renowned for beautiful gardens and flowers during spring
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this regarding paths around enclosures, but I believes there's also some thinking about guest immersion, in that when you're viewing the animals you don't really want to be able to see people in the background.
I think wall to wall buildings in that new little neighborhood would make it stand out more as a new development, make it feel special since it used to be part of the zoo!
I think if you temporarily place a large rock feature closer to the damm it will block the water and you can pause then place a bit more grass before removing the rock again and unpausing. Also not sure how I feel about you placing the monkeys among the lions and giraffes, Monkeys are jungle animals, lions and giraffes are savanna animals.
Depends on what monkey we think are living in this enclosure🤔... For example, chimpanzes are jungle monkeys but baboons are not and they are commonly found in the same areas that lions and giraffes are.
"Correctly" is debatable. He's pronouncing it the way Kiwis and Aussies do, at least (and probably most native-English speakers). But as a Spanish name for a South-American tree, that J should really be read more like an H...
you forgot the elephants, they use to be in the hill by the aqua enclosure. watch out it is a big asset.
I did not notice that you made my day worse lol
Are antelopes NA? I thought they were African. Or did I miss hear where he placed it?
Gonna hope on the top comment to add that the NA animal enclosures would probably have thicker landscaping to simulate a boreal forest. Bison would probably not do well in the Verde Beach sun.
Antelopes are African/Asian. They are not deer, they are more related to goats or rams. So he got some fixin to do!!
@@USdude101 in America we have Pronghorn’s which are sometimes colloquially called antelope because they look like antelope, though they aren’t technically. I grew up thinking that’s what they were until I got Zoo Tycoon in middle school haha
Hey, I worked in a Zoo quiet some time, and what most people tend to forget is that there are lots of ameneties and buildings for storage, management and personel. maybe the slim path on the lake could be a place for that. Otherwise great improvements and great episode!
A few small warehouses on pedestrian paths maybe.
Oh that's a fantastic point! I'm going to figure out a way to get these incorporated!
I'm no zoologist, but having done my own research and played a significant amount of planet zoo. I know that many animals would not appreciate being surrounded by paths and 360 access. This video inspired me to take a crack at introducing a more realistic zoo to a city of mine with proper animal privacy and "backstage" areas that are for staff only. certain animals have adjacent containment areas which are completely private. Could definitely have some fun with the scenery and fencing assets to create the illusion even if they're not actually used by the game :) Great video as always!
Ha, it would be cool to see CPP play Planet Zoo or Planet Coaster.
I always like to build my zoos more out in the country away from the noise and lights of the city, for the animals sake
That is a great point! We're going to have to make some adjustments! You're making me want to head to the zoo before the snow starts coming down!
I like
Exactly this. Zoos feel very "natural" but guests actually see relatively little. Modern zoos are designed as homes for the animals first, with careful planning for humans to peek in.
I think incorporating the park maintenance building would work perfect as a staff and admin area/building for the zoo .
The city really needs more park maintenance in general.
While the weeds and bushes do an all right job of filling that empty space between the exhibits, I think scattering in some small/medium rocks and/or new grasses here and there would give the zoo that extra tad of character! Great stuff as always! 🤝
Also some "backstage" buildings/assets as others have suggested.
On that note, Phil, you may actually like Planet Zoo. :D
@@Bethgael I think it's on Game Pass... I might have to give it a go!
@@Bethgael I would love to watch some Planet Zoo videos! Or even Planet Coaster for that matter
@@CityPlannerPlays If you have a few spare hours, do. Bit of a learning curve but a lot of fun if you like designing stuff, which you clearly do! :D
Hey Phil, you could've created a brand new neighbourhood out of the reclaimed land and given it the self-sufficient housing/green cities specialisation - it'll keep the environmentalist soul of its original purpose. You could call it Flamingo Shores or Elephant Rapids
Or if there's a fire.... just call it Flaming Shores.
In the spirit of using assets from other parks, I'd suggest adding the Park Info Booth from the normal City Park assets. Maybe not at every entrance, but at least 1 in the park. You always need a good map or other info!!
Great idea!
THE BRIGES ARENT EVEN !!!!
"And look at those water pipes? No." I fell out laughing at that. I loved it.
You missed the Elephant enclosure :(
Worked at the Philly zoo for years and I think you’re spot on with the concessions you’re mostly spot on, I would consider also adding some of the cabin and lean to assets, we had similar things in our zoo.
Also consider that zoos usually have a marquee exhibit, like THE draw, I think with this zoo it would be the lake and the marine exhibit so by the entrance to that area there should be a ton of food and souvenir options, like we had 3 seperate food places at tiger terrace not to mention there was the guerilla exhibit right next to it and it also had a ton of food options with a big picnic style eating area.
As for paths behind, I’m no zoologist but we didn’t have a lot of paths behind exhibits that were open to the public, there were public paths in the front and employee paths in the back to get supplies from the warehouse to concessions quickly or to get transport animals from the vet to exhibits plus employee access to the zoo period that had access to a mostly private road where parking was reserved for employees and members.
This is a SUCH helpful feedback! Thank you and I'll try to incorporate some of it in!
I absolutely love that you are revisiting some of the older parts of Verde Beach. I really struggle with Zoo layouts too so this is a double beneficial episode for me!
Thank you! I'm having a blast with it!!
I think the new high density residential would be a sustainable district. Or maybe even a pedestrian zone.
I mean it's a former park and right next to the cities big nature reserve.
if your goal was separating things by region, antelopes should be with the other african animals
47:00 Could have used the new wall to wall residentials. to give that mid-rise high density look.
(1) I think the zoo could benefit from a few more seating areas & restrooms, especially as you get further away from the entrances.
(2) Since zoos are all about preserving our planet, I think it would make sense for the new neighborhood to be Green Cities buildings instead.
(3) How many times would Burning Palms burn down while it was getting reworked (if it was to get a rework that is)?
Points 1 and 2 are great - will have to make adjustments. On #3 - it's getting reworked and it'll be 100% more flammable, haha!
The new zoo looks very beautiful.
I have a few observations, tips and suggestions here & there:
1. 15:47 to fix the broken zoning when you eliminate an intersection, delete the affected road segment and do it again, it'll fix the zoning. You'll have better luck repositioning the gate (or any non-growable building) after you place it.
If you want to center a building (like the gate) at an intersection simply place it, delete the road & then redo the road with all snaptools disabled except for angle, then line the end of the new road with the center of the big blue arrow pointing to the entrance of the building. Then create a new road perpendicular to the road ending at the entrance of the building to have an "L-shaped" road. Finally, convert the L-shape into a T junction & voila! Perfectly centered building at an intersection.
That said, due to game mechanics, it only works with local/local roads, local/collector or collector/local roads. It doesn't work with collector/collector. Basically narrow/wide & vice versa, but not wide/wide. You'll end up with the Building Is Not Connected sign.
2. The parking lots not being aligned with Park Street makes them look odd & off-putting to be honest. It could use a do-over. They're aligned with the Zoo Blvd. May I suggest making Park Street perpendicular to Zoo Blvd for the parking lot area, and then curve it to meet the Park Street Bridge. It'll eliminate the odd shaped empty areas & look much better. Maybe reduce parking lots from 2 & rows to just 2 rows. A giant rectangular looks better than 2 boxes ... Unless, maybe, a dog park for the vacant area?
3. The new high density development could use a couple of pedestrian paths to the Zoo Blvd alongside a couple of bus stops to maximize the efficiency of the existing bus line.
4. The metros at the Metro Station between the Campus & the Zoo seem to get gridlocked regularly because of the 3 lines going through 2 platforms. May I suggest putting an OG Metro Station right next to the P&P one you have there? It'll fit perfectly. It's a great solution to have 3 metro lines with a very small surface footprint. (All you need is a 3x3 space to fit both stations, technically less as its a 1x3 & 2x2).
there should definitely be "zones" or biomes for types of trees!
I agree, would be great to see a bit of variation in the vegetation as you move through the zoo. Maybe add some targeted areas of colour with flowers, adding in an area which may be more arid around the African enclosures, vs rainforests around the Asian, then maybe some more flowers etc. Near the birds.
I don't know how viable this is in game as I haven't played a whole lot myself, but I think it would add a bit more character to the zoo
That's a SUPER interesting idea!!
Usually in zoos you don't have paths around all 4 sides of an enclosure, at least not an open path for everyone. Usually the back of an enclosure is where you keep stuff stored, have smaller enclosures to separate individuals if you have more than one and don't want them togheter when eating or something, sometimes it's where they eat, so usually the back of an enclosure is an staff only place
i love new builds, but phil, your recent uploads where you revisit old builds with better skills, newer assets, and more mechanics since you first built them... i am absolutely ENAMORED with redevelopment videos. so interesting to look back on the history of not just builds, but cities that are fully alive and as always, very realistic in that they change character and change over time. love it, keep up the amazing work, man! ❤
I get so excited seeing a new cities skylines video from you. This content takes my mind off consuming too much social media with the added bonus of learning about city planning. Thank you for all the effort you put into these !!
Thank you for being here with me and watching!!
Phil - lately I have noticed your videos have taken on a different character. I think you recently hired a new editor. I have got to say the two of you are working together beautifully. I personally like how you began including a prelude to the video. It’s well done and a joy, as always, to watch. Bravo!
Thank you... unfortunately the editor didn't work out so, it's been 100% me lately. It's forced me to get better at editing and, truthfully, I've been enjoying getting my hands deeper into the videos. I think I've been thinking of going without and editor and comments like this make me feel like it's the right choice!
@@CityPlannerPlays really? This has been all you? Yes. I feel like your videos, by enlarge have a new and refreshing character. Well done. If I could make one request. I feel this may be on behalf of all of us. We really like your channel and your content, please please please don’t burn yourself out. It would be a tragic loss.
Wow watching you redevelop old parts of VB unlocks core CS memories for me back when I was a super noob watching the first episodes of VB when they came out, it's amazing to see the zoo redeveloped, love the fact that the city changes so much over the years like a real city. 🤩🥰
I would also use to opportunity to turn the zoo into a giant botanical garden with special kinds of trees and plants in it. Not sure if it can happen in vanilla, but my point is Landscaping could be something you visit there too.
Really lovely work as ever, and I think the lush detailing and landscaping at the end looked great. Only change I would make is that you put the huge parking lot right near one of the smaller entrances, and the main gate has little to no parking so it only accessible via public transport. I'd switch those two around, so the people using public transport (likely to be smaller groups, couples or even individuals) would be split across the three smaller entrances, and the people coming by car (most likely larger families with kids) have the bigger entrance with more space for them to get in and out.
26:08 It looks like an elephant! Trunk on the right, watch tower is the eyes, the rock feature is the ear 😄
You should honor the first exhibit on the old path by naming the new Residencial road after it. 🤗
I think you should consider scaling back the use of weeds throughout the zoo
the zoo really does look great - like the new changes and is significantly more logical in terms of the layout
I would however consider adding in a few of the tree paths back along some (but not all) of the paths in the zoo - perhaps some of the main ones
as the paths and the zoo as a whole does feel a bit empty without some of those tree paths that were there before
just a suggestion
however - a GREAT video as always - really, really enjoyed it and as always cannot wait until the next one 👍👍👍
This new zoo looks so much better! One aspect of zoos that you might consider is putting an admin building someplace hidden from the park, given that it's a large place that likely employs hundreds of people.
There's a zoo beside an observation tower here in my city, and from the tower you would be surprised to see just how big yet well-hidden the admin building is.
In our Zoo in Fort Worth, we have tons of picnic tables for people that bring in food from home to enjoy a day at the zoo.
When I worked at a zoo, the pathways behind and sometimes next to enclosures were usually for staff to access whatever needed done in the enclosure. :] Love the upgrade!
You were absolutely right in about redoing the zoo. What a difference, good job!
Thank you!
If you don't like the green, you could always lower the terrain, and make the rapids go over rocks - that we be realistic too
This renovation looks great! I think the café, souvenir shop and bathrooms from the Amusement Park and City Park should be mixed in more and/or swapped for some of the zoo versions. This could produce a theme and differentiate the area of the zoo someone would be in.
I also think having having steep berms/hills such as an artificial looking mountain or volcano is something you would see at a zoo/theme park. This could create a interesting landscape, provide another destination in the park and break up the zoo a little better.
Finally, would it be odd if the Sterling Family Zoo was renamed or edited? Some sort of backstory could work, perhaps someone helped renovate it through funding?
Consider replacing the palms in the North America area of the zoo with spruces or pines
Since there just simply aren't enough exhibit assets in the game, I think one way around this is to use the fences to create your own DIY habitats. Sure, there won't be an animal roaming around (unless a stray animal just ends up stuck in there), BUT it would add the realism of volume into the zoo and you can do many small exhibits along routes. I think it'll also tie everything together, making things feel more connected and whole.
Could you somehow elevate the water source into the rock feature to transform it into a waterfall? It's not the height of realism but that could create more topography in the park and provide more spectacular views using other park assets.
The main entrance needs to be by the parking.
Very nice zoo, here are some things you could add.
1. A staff only area consisting of maybe a warehouse or two and a lounge
2. Not all zoos have this, but the one in my area has commercial around each entrance. Most of it is a place to eat and souvenir shops.
3. As another commenter has said, the animals probably dont appreciate being surrounded on all sides
4. The Elephant enclosure
5. Some green space/areas to relax and eat, maybe add a vanilla park or just some benches under a tree.
A lot of zoos are designed with an eye toward reproduction. The ones that need more privacy while raising their young need to be less exposed - big cats in particular are apt to get stressed out if the public can get near on every side. Also if you want to get carnivores to reproduce (of course species coordinators have the final say in the zoo world, good zoos don’t just allow random reproduction), you need to place them so they have a view/smell of some good prey.
Went a little crazy with the weeds, I think. It makes sense for some, more open areas of the park to be wild. But in those areas where the paths are redundant, I would have liked to have seen some flowers or some custom plazas for sims to relax and take in the surroundings.
the split-screen city tour made my brain hurt. it's a cool idea, but i think doing the normal before/after shots would make the changes easier to appreciate.
the zoo does look awesome, i thought you'd be abandoning VB after episode 100, but i'm very happy that you didn't
50:07 This drives me wild. It seems realistic to me to ask for a fence but also a missed opportunity for then for pedestrians accessing the businesses from the rear, or sitting out with a coffee on the river side.
In my city it's often business associations opposing pedestrianisation despite proven increases in activity from it
So this is gonna be quite a long comment. So something I definitely would've done differently was between the artificial river embankment and Sterling Zoo Boulevard the area in between dips down when it looks like they are around the same height. Not a big deal and you made it work and it feel natural having some slight slopes to a place. Another thing, I think you should definitely place some tall grass and weeds on the bumb between the lake and the river to make it feel more natural and make it look better. And I know this was probably unintentional but the way the new redevelopment road pretty closely follows the old path is satisfying to me. It's like instead of them ripping the path up only later to come and build a road where it once was, I felt like they paved over the path to turn it into a road (almost kinda how sometimes it's done in reverse for hiking/cycling trails). And if I recall correctly does the city/state government own the zoo? And did they find the revitalization project? Cause I would expect that the other government owned property across the street (Burning Palms National Forest) would also be getting revitalized soon too to increase the land values and not to not be left behind. You usually see massive projects lumped together into spending bills to further increase support and get the community involved in how to revitalize and redevelop land that was owned by the properties. Overall this was a much needed revitalization over what had become the old and decrepit Sterling Family Zoo, I absolutely love the new zoo and can't wait for your next video.
All i was thinking is, what if a child is playing at the expanded seating restaurant next to the lake a d falls in, the rapids he made will yank that child out to the ocean before anyone knows it's gone. There aren't fences keeping people "safe" but wouldn't need fences if the water was calmer.
This zoo still covers a big area, and since you were speaking of having accessibility in mind too, I really think there should be a transit option inside the zoo, to get around quickly. Also, I think that's something you see in a lot of places. Cable cars or monorail make a lot of sense in a situation like this. it would also help a lot with all the empty space between the different exhibit sections!
you could slope the canal a bit more so you don't have 5m high quay walls and the water would flow more uniform
I wasn't around when the first iteration of the zoo was built, so it was very fun to see an archeological examination of the site once it had been cleared! Fun to see how your gameplay has evolved. Still hoping a VB developer has plans in the works for a big downtown investment :)
Any way you could do a small video compiling all the things you learned about grading?
The parking lot is destroying the whole look, 100% american realism
I like how half the time he's working on the lake there's fire helicopters taking in water from it
5:50 That hospital must have an amazing dental department with all those ice-cream shops right behind it! 🤣
that new residential devt wouldve been great as a green cities district!
I just wanted to see you polish up the district boundaries. Like, is that new development technically "inside" the zoo still?
They're all a bunch of animals lol.
Love the zoo rebuild, looks 1000% better than the old zoo. I would vote for the carousel to be included. My family likes zoos and have visited a lot of them, and they almost always have a carousel (for whatever reason). It's a shame that the Pedestrian assets aren't compatible with the foot paths, because some of the new plazas (food trucks, ice cream, flowers) would integrate well into the zoo.
Also liked your commentary on the old water pipes: "NO". 😆
Family friendly zoos suck. Build a maximum security prison camp that sends prisoners to be zoo meat for the lions.
A restaurant with some of that outdoor seating and perhaps a gazebo would look nice on one side of the lake opposite the zoo exhibit. And I am not sure about a lot of other places but our zoo here had a small botanical garden next to the indoor exhibits for things like lizards and insects. The whole rebuild on the zoo looks really great!
Honestly, I wouldn't mind adding rocks to the river again to make some rapids again. You may not be able to put them under the bridge, but that's not a bad thing. I, for one, wouldn't mind standing on a pedestrian bridge and spend a little time looking upstream at a little rapids. Gives the flow a bit more character instead of being utilitarian; a man made river instead of just an overflow outlet. Putting a few rock features by where the outlet starts might also play around with the water physics enough to get the lake a little fuller before draining without needing to mess with the landscaping.
However, I'm not sure why you put the antelope with the "North American" species, as they're predominantly African. Also not really a fan of "cover every square inch with weedy undergrowth". To me, at least, if feels less "lush and natural" and more "neglectingly overgrown". It honestly feels like if you could, you'd cover the entire map with that stuff first and then start building a city.
Man after getting used to mods it is so weird even seeing vanilla anymore. It's still impressive what the base game can do... but the QOL improvements that mods bring are hard to go back from. Especially TMPE and Move It. Playing without those suuuuucks now.
Great 👍 episode.
I know in vanilla it is difficult to add non DLC assets, if you could figure out a way, the bio dome, bird & bee haven and possibly the riding stables would be nice additions.
Totally over board suggestion, A small cable car network, they would link to the sections of the park and most importantly cross over the new lake.
@CityPlannerPlays If You were to live in Verde Beach and free to pick any place in the city, what would You choose? You could find "Your" house in the city and give it a name, I think that would be cool. :)
Some animals need a backstage area to get away if need be.
I really love the redevelopment episodes. They are a great way to see the nearly infinite ways you can use a space.
Given the age of the zoo, and the redevelopment, I suspect the zoo would do some major rebranding and "family" would be dropped from the name. "Come visit brand new Sterling Zoo!"
Heavy landscaping between different enclosures would be cool too. I'm sure it would help isolate animals from eachother + provide a noise barrier.
Also Dublin Zoo has this and it creates the effect of walking through nature/a forest. It's neat.
With zoo design you have to balance the needs of the visitors, animals and staff which is why some enclosures may have paths all the way around while others dont... being watched from all angles is a welfare issue for most animals, there are staff areas and off-show enclosures that are kept out of view from the public, and a lot of zoos are specifically designed to only give visitors the best view possible into the enclosure. In terms of the in game exhibits, I think it's just Cities Skylines being Cities Skylines
@13:42, since this zoo is so centrally located, people shouldnt have to drive to it. Imagine a downtown of a large city building parking when there is Excellent transit and existing metro lines servicing the area. The parking Should be modest.
Im not a Zoologist but my partner has been working at a zoo for close to 5 years now. They say that the 360 paths are a bad idea. Almost all Zoo animals have some natural predators and giving them no safe zone/space where they can't be watched would stress a lot of these animals out tremendously. Most zoos just have paths in the front and maybe some 270 degree paths but even with those there are big private areas for the animals behind the open enclosure.
Did you ever use the shipyard unique factory. Because I have a hard time imaging that with the multiple ports and how widespread boating is, alongside the local metal and oil production there wouldn't be one as part of a industrial dock area, most likely with a second cargo port.
hey great work! I know it's a zoo and not a "park" park, but I do feel some plain grass areas would be good for families to have picnics and let kids run around where currently everything is weeds.
Really like the upgrades to the zoo and to the new riverwalk. One thing I disagree with though is that businesses would require a fence to be constructed between them and the riverwalk. In Atlanta and Charleston, rails-to-trails corridors that previous went behind buildings are causing businesses to create new outside dining or secondary storefront options that are accessible to the pedestrian traffic traveling in these new corridors.
Consider making the small stretch of the zoo along the riverbank that doesn't actually have any zoo in it a regular park, and moving the zoo entrances to either end of that park. That way everyone downtown can enjoy some of the fruits of the renovation.
i hear you on the zoo assets; why some have a built in snap to path and some don't is super frustrating--and then randomly some have a clear 'front' and some don't! also, more zoo exhibits when? bears, tigers, and polar bears would be great! your finished zoo looks fantastic tho!
Huge improvements all around! I remember watching you build this zoo all those 200 years ago, I am really enjoying the rebuilding episodes you have been doing around Verde Beach recently. One suggestion, the river part of the river walk seems a bit low at the top. Maybe a more gradual slope from the lake to the river would make the quay wall a little less extreme.
45:20 surely the climbing structure would make more sense over by the rocks, no?
also 49:28 no you got it right! pronunciation is always relative to the language being spoken, and that's the correct way to pronounce it in English
That side by side comparison of the zoo was just incredible. How do you keep raising the bar so much?!
thank you!!!
Add a Pedestrian bridge from the parking lot to the entrance maybe. and will Vanilla allow you to place a Park Maintenance building with in the Zoo?
Why not place the water feature in the center of the lake? It would be completely submerged and still work properly that way you don't have to try and hide it with vegetation.
The zoo would be brutal to walk around in during the summer, no shade! Florida zoos that I have been to are lush with canopy to walk under and through.
40:45 Couldn't you use that plaza as a centerpiece though? Even though the nodes don't connect, pedestrians can still enter from adjacent paths, no?
Paths vary depending on what type of animal is in an exhibit, what the exhibit consists of, and where the exhibit is located. Paths are placed where guests will get the best view of the animals.
One criticism, please smooth out the grade in the river at least a little bit so there isn't so much of the quay wall above water, it looks ugly and weird imo.
Not a big fan of the weeds all over the zoo. A city zoo is usually well manicured. Other than that awesome redo!
I think, that old channel was better then new one.
Honestly, i like old zoo more (apart of new land for high density residential).
Nice but where are the elephants
Also i think there were some signs and benches etc in the previous zoo.
Would be nice to add some coin rides for the kids
You pronounced jacaranda trees correctly as far as I’m aware unless I pronounce it wrong too 🤣 they’re native to my hometown here in Australia and in autumn they’re the messiest trees ever 🤣 a lot of fallen flowers from the trees would end up in the river
Jacaranda is not native to Australia. They're still a very pretty tree regardless, and in many areas will only be in bloom for another couple of months.
@@sphereindustries5224 didn’t necessarily mean native to Australia more so they grow n flourish in the town I come from. It’s well renowned for beautiful gardens and flowers during spring
i feel like the weeds inside the zoo have been overdone... it'd be nice to leave some open green space for people to just relax
I think the bouldering sites could look nice somewhere in the zoo, so cool to see these older builds being redeveloped! Great episodes as always
3:24 The fishing boats are sailing through the fishing / observation dock :)
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this regarding paths around enclosures, but I believes there's also some thinking about guest immersion, in that when you're viewing the animals you don't really want to be able to see people in the background.
Wouldn't the main entrance be across the parking lot instead of the main road?
A ferris wheel would be cool to have, you could see all the animals and the skyline
Phil, do remember that only some of the quay walls work as pedestrian paths.
Maybe the zoo-redo would include Bicentennial in its new name.
hey youtube - what is the parking asset he used for the new zoo car park?
You could add a canal going from the zoo lake into the sea, it might make the edges look neater
I donno, Lion's next to Bison makes a lot of sense. Makes it easier to feed them.
I think wall to wall buildings in that new little neighborhood would make it stand out more as a new development, make it feel special since it used to be part of the zoo!
I think if you temporarily place a large rock feature closer to the damm it will block the water and you can pause then place a bit more grass before removing the rock again and unpausing.
Also not sure how I feel about you placing the monkeys among the lions and giraffes, Monkeys are jungle animals, lions and giraffes are savanna animals.
Depends on what monkey we think are living in this enclosure🤔...
For example, chimpanzes are jungle monkeys but baboons are not and they are commonly found in the same areas that lions and giraffes are.
I live in Australia and you are pronouncing Jacaranda correctly. Check out the Jacaranda festival in Grafton New South Wales as well
"Correctly" is debatable. He's pronouncing it the way Kiwis and Aussies do, at least (and probably most native-English speakers). But as a Spanish name for a South-American tree, that J should really be read more like an H...
Gotta grade out that canal from the zoo's pond to the main harbor
He wanted rapids though