Why is my biggest city dying? Trying to fix a demographic crisis in Cities Skylines 2

Today we're focusing on the bigger picture, developing new residential areas and re-zoning existing developments to provide more housing. I fix a few things based on your awesome input first, then jump into re-zoning/re-developing around New Chelsea's downtown, before adding new low-density single-family housing developments in the northern part of the metropolitan area. We also implement new services and take the first steps in a major overhaul of the education institutions of Riverview, expanding high-school and college institutions. Hope you enjoy!
Patreon with Ad-Free Early-Access to new uploads when possible other goodies! - / infrastructurist
All my Cities: Skylines Series playlists:
Cities Skylines 2 Realistic North American City - Riverview: • Cities Skylines 2 Real...
American Realistic County - Dakota Falls: • Realistic American Cou...
Crystal Reef County - Vanilla+ Florida inspired city: • Cities Skylines - Crys...
Coniferia - Realistic fictional Australia/Canada-inspired city: • Sunny coastal town! - ...
The American Dream - Realistic American City: • Cities: Skylines - The...
Project JAPAN: • Starting A Realistic J...
Building a realistic European/UK city (really old series!): • Starting A New City! -...
Map;
- Mountain Village
Mods;
- Unified Icon Library
- Better Bulldozer
- Water Features
- Tree Controller
- Anarchy
- Move It
- ExtraLib
- Map Texture Replacer
- ExtraLandscapingTools
- Plop the Growables
- PreservePhotoMode
- Line Tool
- Historical Start
- FPS Limiter
- Population Rebalance
- Prop Lights Mod
- Traffic Simulation Adjuster
- Extended Road Upgrades
- Extra networks and Areas
- I18n EveryWhere
- Water Visual Tweaks
- DependencyPack
- Gooee
- LegacyFlavour
- RealisticDensity
- Land Value Overhaul
- Find It
- ExtendedTooltip
- Weather+
- ExtraAssetsImporter
- ExtraDetailingTools
Settings;
- Everything is set to medium/high, and upscaled to 4K (3840 × 2160) resolution (mainly to fix the current TAA issues).
Hardware specs;
- 3080, 32 GB ram, I5-12600KF.
Music;
artlist.io/
www.epidemicsound.com/
#citiesskylines #citiesskylines2

[@CouchPotator]

The Post Sorting Facility does NOT handle mail delivery, only the Post Offices do. Without a local post office, it has nothing to do.

[@Infrastructurist]

Ah, alright. But wasn't it actually bugged at some point? I just found it strange there was no activity when I did have active post offices :-)

[@Kiwi2703]

@@Infrastructurist It was bugged a lot, for me the entire postal system didn't work at all. It was reported all the time, CO knew about it, I don't know if it's fully fixed already.

[@Zlatoyar]

@@Infrastructurist All game is still bugged as shit. I'm get tired cleaning abandoned HiRes buildings (with high demand for HiRes) so I quit this beta-test untill develepors will do smth.

[@nbeerten]

​@@Infrastructurist I heard somewhere that the whole post sorting facility doesn't work if you have a cargo harbor (or terminal even I think) in your city

[@TheGrimHHH]

@@Kiwi2703 It has been mostly fixed from my understanding. There was a way to fix it before they patched it, but it required deleting you cargo train terminals and them placing them down again. I suppose there was some sort of conflict, so vans would only collect mail, but never take them anywhere.

[@eduardpuiggarcia6584]

I thing a major hospital in downtown is very much needed, and the bus station plot would be perfect.

[@TheFrenchPlayer]

fr

[@ForthrightSatire288]

Yeah

[@Wareitar]

This! For sure! Who knows, might even help the population as well.

[@Merecir]

A medical university!

[@TheFrenchPlayer]

@@Merecir the asset is relatively big, it would require some destruction of buildings around

[@Zirillion]

I think due to the city's size now, the old bus station could be better used as a large hospital with possibly a medical university campus. Being ideally suited in the middle of the city. Keep up the great content!

[@luks303]

As someone running for city council, I say we should focus on fixing these statistics, by improving our health, educational and law enforcement systems. I approve this message 👍

[@danonck]

I like the idea of a major hospital mixed in with a medical university on the bus station plot and its surroundings which are pretty underdeveloped. I'd also like for Northside and maybe even Chelsea to get their own primary/high school campuses given their growth in density and population. I love this series, keep 'em coming. Last but not least - oh how I wish you'd give us at least a farewell episode of Coniferia!

[@joshuacaalim]

Aside from a small university, maybe you should add a downtown hospital, too? I know the default asset is huge, but an area that dense needs more healthcare services, to be honest. (Maybe a mid-size custom hospital?) Also, those poor sims living in the new suburbs are walking to the nearest transit hub 😭Please improve the connectivity in New Chelsea and its closest suburbs.

[@AydanRoper]

so excited to watch this new episode! Keep up the amazing work, this is my favourite series/channel for all things city skylines!

[@Infrastructurist]

Thanks a lot, I will do my best! :-)

[@owenschmidt6166]

University would be a great idea in the lot. Maybe stitch one of the older Uni with with an office building to make it fit in downtown.

[@MacBolzack]

The old bus station plot in Downtown should be what you suggested; a Downtown branch of the main University. Also, you should look into public transport to New Chelsea (tram/bus)

[@andreasilvestrin7643]

Hi man, regarding the small river branch you mentioned you wanted to change, maybe you could do a sort of "canal" uplifting, adding commercial/tourism attractions and high-end housing, as well as a park that crosses the whole city. Love the content!!

[@danonck]

That'd be lovely!

[@ch1cky_br1ky27]

While I adore your small projects with their impressive detailing, which truly set you apart from other content creators and give you your unique "voice," it's also refreshing to watch your significant city expansions. Thank you for your amazing and varied work! Additionally, the idea of repurposing the old bus station site for a compact downtown university is brilliant. It will not only add significant historical and contextual depth to the narrative of the city as a whole and to the downtown in particular. The classical architecture will serve as an essential pocket of traditional beauty, offering solace for office workers looking out from their windows or IT workers moving between glass towers. It will also spark amazement and aid with orientation for tourists. Undoubtedly, it will become a monument to the local pride and a shining beacon for local patriotic sentiment for the residents.

[@jonathanvandenklaassenvrie4022]

i think the university departmant in the city centre is a good idea, however, I also feel like the ciy center needs some cultare, so maybe the arts departmant and across from that a Museum! Loved the episode and love the series, looking forward to the next one!

[@sol_in.victus]

YOOO I MADE AN APPEARANCE! Lol For whatever it's worth i think the parking lot next to the high school looks way better now! And the massive up-zoning was well needed! City's looking awesome, for sure my favorite city from CS2 launch!

[@Vortx110]

Who Wanna be stuck watching boring news with dad when you got this epic content to chill with over dinner ❤ Love from Australia 🇦🇺 Mate I recently discovered your channel and believe me you have become my favourite cities Skylines creator 😁

[@melvinlover1463]

I love all of your content, the only thing I'm missing is to sometimes see the buildings and the life on the streets from a close-up perspective. Keep up the good work 💪🏻

[@randomwaffler]

you should definitely work on your services next episode: power, water, sewage, waste, education, police (prisons), health, fire etc.

[@Firehead9531]

I love the arts college idea in the heart of downtown, and perhaps you should add a medical university to the existing college campus space so people can have more access to higher education in one area, or have some more medical care in downtown with a college next door.

[@Hackerman747]

You could use the empty lot, left behind by the old tram depot, for a university in the middle of downtown. I think that would make sense, as the vanilla university asset looks quite historical, so a building which would have been there for quite some time. Where better to place it than in the middle of the city (the oldest part of the area)

[@japes7]

The vanilla asset is probably 3 or 4 times the size of that plot though.

[@Hackerman747]

@@japes7 yea, I just realized that but I think his idea of using the smaller “custom asset” as some sort of inner-city branch of the main campus would still fit the idea. Also with the smaller building now fitting the idea of a historical building as “back in the days” when the uni would have been built, the city was way smaller and therefor didn’t need the big main campus we would be seeing in present time.

[@ifpstopmotions9720]

I love your videos! The level of detailing you're getting into is insane!

[@WelshAvenue]

So excited to see the different universities get dedicated campuses next episode!

[@Crispified]

I had the same problem with the unreliable mail service! To properly fix it, you need to deactivate all of your cargo terminals and then reload the game. I'm not totally sure if it'll work for you, but it resolved my issue. Hope this helps!

[@hkan_theswed]

When I see you building I get a lot of ideas you are a real influenser for me thanks for that. You got a great set of Cities there.

[@RatchetGamingNation]

Love how you transformed the college area! Trees are great, but having big open areas for public recreation definitely add so much more character to builds like this. Thanks for another great upload, can't wait for the next one!

[@chickencosmix6331]

This is the most pretty city I have seen in city skylines 2. It really inspires me to return to playing the game again. Love the tram line you built last video.

[@zvigomez8152]

the waves of people moving away might have to do with clearing houses for new development

[@ursmersmann6736]

50:41 you should add university buildings downtown

[@aconitum1878]

ive checked your channel like 2 times today alone waiting for a new upload lmfao thanks for delivering!!!

[@BraydenDye]

46:23 the collage looks like a question mark ngl

[@errolikalina1998]

Wow! This looks amazing. I didn't realize its gotten to this stage now where its playable, I guess the mods help fix things. Might just buy it now.

[@jaydenanders9814]

Loving the videos. I think the second smaller river needs to be revitalized. Riverview has so many rivers but they are disconnected. Nice parks and pathways along with expensive homes and shops could be good along with tourism and leisure opportunities such as a museum

[@sebastianmay36]

This is the most beautyful city i've ever seen! Awesome realistic i cant Imagine 😮😮😮

[@dawsonzdebiak6337]

Hey been loving your cities 2 videos. Would love to see some development of the waterfront more, seems like it’s all very untouched and as the city grows that should be prime real estate. Would love to see a mix of parks, luxury high rises and commercial buildings utilize the shoreline

[@sebastientumahai9560]

I think an episode where you completely densify everything would help your city statistically and aesthetically and improve its realism

[@ForthrightSatire288]

You should add more low and high density commercial buildings and add more parks and hangout areas

[@idbestshutup4424]

personally love the art college idea, or maybe a computer science school with an office development partnership?

[@Cz8916]

To help with your population, you need to improve your education, health care and services like police and fire. People want to live where they feel safe can get educated. People like third places like parks. People won’t have children if they don’t think they can get their children, proper education or amenities for the children like parks and such. I enjoy your content, and your city is looking amazing. It just needs to think about the people living in the city.

[@Cz8916]

A modern arts college in the dense area would be awesome

[@StephanvanVuurenza]

a downtown arts college sounds great!

[@BrokeHungarian]

You know it's a good day when infrastructurist posts.

[@mathiscaselli3154]

this was a great video, keep up with this work! just one thing as i think this city requires a proper sports facility! you should consider adding a football ⚽ stadium in the central part of the city or some type of training grounds/facilities near the city's outskirts to give some type of storyline, given that there really isn't much realted to sports in the city at the moment.

[@kevalgambhava]

i think their should be small hill station or 5 to 7 homes on the hill probably at the mountain near old downtown of new chelsea where nature people moved to mountains

[@arthvader1]

What are your visual settings? The lighting and graphic setting look great!

[@strossicro1]

All in all, you built a beautiful and interesting city.

[@ithen75]

Nice improvements, I like it. Maybe the empty big place (bus hub) can be a big plaza instead. I think it could look rly nice there. 🤔

[@MCnoCOMPLY]

@22:52 There is an option in the line tool that automatically rotates 90 and puts them end to end. One of the two buttons next to the "random rotation" dice.

[@nick5884]

Really nice content

[@Sean-ps3ec]

How your not a City Planner or a Developer is beyond me dude

[@gp5313]

I like the idea of putting a university in town and also upgrade the elementary school in the new developed area

[@Bahnfanatiker]

I think, on this free lot, there could be the general university of Riverview, so the whole main building. In the outskirts you could probably build the technical university and the medical university.

[@heavyhauldude9914]

The hang around area will work but without paths going through them and you must use pedestrian access location markers in locations where you want peds to access and leave the area.. and use walking area for the paths instead of the invisible paths... And again don't forget the pedestrian access location markers... Don't be shy with the location markers... Also put one right next to the actual tram stop... I wish I could share a screenshot to show you my custom station setups...

[@japes7]

Did you remember to add invisible pedestrian paths to those extended college entrances? You made surface paths at the back but using the paths it would make it usable.

[@siri6930]

Pls build underground metro(or above) between the downtowns of new Chelsea and riverview and east riverview and the university

[@tracycui3800]

no hospitals, literally a clinic next door. no universities cause it does not fit the metropolitan theme. Since downtown needs a park maybe we could build a park with a playground, a pool, and some luxury apartment highrises.

[@mewosh_]

Bro cares so much about improving education that he unlocked universities twice 42:38 50:35

[@mewosh_]

The game crashed, hasn't it?

[@Infrastructurist]

Ahhahaahah. It was actually because I recorded a ton of footage only to find out my microphone was off - so I had to re-record some of it, and make the best of it :-D

[@Kleph.]

A downtown Uni seems like a good idea, but will there be enough room? I think it would be nice, if you do have the space, to have several uni buildings and then parks across the street. Then the park area serves as a mix between more private and public spaces

[@rickymarkpareja3470]

I see new episode, I click new episode, I binge new episode hihi

[@YukonAdmiral]

wonderful

[@jacksmeey]

just an idea but if you want to get rid of the small river dividing your main city you could think about creating like a "natural dam" like a beaver and a very small creak running through where it was then transform the emptied space into a park with long winding paths

[@nathanielmikusch5832]

If you want to make the transisions from symetrical to asymezrical roads a little more pretty you can use the traffic mod in the upper left conor to connect the the middle line to the symetrical line to get rid of the dark grey Area on the road

[@lionz0r]

Liked, and subbed ;)

[@BlackBull77]

Yes, art university. Great episode as usual

[@abfruits]

I know you weren't detailing, but in the angle row houses, with the parking across the street, do you want to add a couple of crosswalks, so they can get to their cars?

[@0201lemmob]

Would love to see a central stadium or event location like madison square garden but more pleasing to the eye.

[@alexvanderleen2275]

I think you should stick a landmark in that spot to spruce up dt!

[@Saya_Orang]

bro, after the city is finished, please make a long duration cinematic video, I really like your city❤️

[@finwallner9591]

I think the metro riverview college area should have also a big sport facility that is maybe shared with the nearby highschool

[@TiagoMorbusSa]

A Dane being tired of rain? Never heard of it!

[@tiagocorreia1690]

Maybe your population issue comes from the Mixed Row Mod. Install the Info Loom mod and see if you have too many homeless. If that is the case, just delete all your Mixed Row buildings, and normally it will return to normal. I had the same problem.

[@NOBS_MISO_LIKE]

Cool stuff and thanks for your great content! Talking about growth problems in conjuction with realism: I think your commercial and office demand isn't broadly satisfied - i am also missing more smaller commercial strips spread out along major artierials in the outskirts of the city. I also think the fields next East Riverview and New Chelsea are too close to higher density buildings. Usually cities with such dense centres - the centres are just small island floating in an huge lake of row housing and then again the row housing surrounded by an ocean of single family homes.

[@georgeoust]

May I ask what map theme are you using??

[@itsthatoneguy2921]

I like everything but I'm not a fan of the lime green trees. Those trees were colored differently, it would look very realistic.

[@oldbore]

Wow you say wonky donky! I thought only I say that! Love your videos bro.

[@peciarda]

Perfect rain timing, where I'm now it also rains.

[@dndkujo]

I think the lot in the city should be used for a major hospital but it can also be used for a school of design/arts

[@James_Knoll]

A park build is relatively easy and an investment in education is the smart build

[@glitchedsushi]

I was thinking that maybe the custom riverbed can become a big sprawling park

[@alisacrowder4833]

you forgot about the commuter rail system for the northen suburbs of the city

[@ForthrightSatire288]

The city is getting too dense so I think you should build more low density housing

[@Infrastructurist]

Sprawl sprawl sprawl!

[@ForthrightSatire288]

​​@@Infrastructurist i changed my mind There are more jobs than adults in your city sooo MORE HIGH DENSITY APPARMENTS

[@toddbergamaschi73]

You need a downtown Sports Arena in the place of the bus depot

[@Antekkubiak0920]

I recommend to create a quater district like in barcelona. It look awesome with multi function housing on 2x2 and 2x3 grid.

[@macfley]

What is the mod for those new rowhouses? Its just what i need

[@tomnbvindo]

Can you switch season to winter soon?

[@Randomquestion_ai]

Really nice if you can please add it to savegame on paradox mods because I would really love to look around

[@thegaelicgladiator665]

I think you should put a mall in that downtown plot

[@mewosh_]

Crest Street is screaming for a tram line running alongside it...

[@user-vm5pl3er6o]

endnu en god video, det kunne være ret sejt med en form for strand/hotel område kunne det være en ide?

[@aitor7207]

What is the name of the mod of the rowhouses?

[@WillieLikesToYell]

What mod gives mixed row housing?

[@Bioshyn]

is the automatic rezone regrowth completely disabled with ploppables installed or is there a way to enable it again? and is the row high school part of the new zones mod or another one? Do you have a list of all the asset packs you downloaded?

[@Infrastructurist]

That's a good question - I assume its completely disabled. And the high school is part of the "row house service buildings" :-)

[@Bioshyn]

@@Infrastructurist thank you!

[@strossicro1]

I am hoping to jump back in the game, could you make a steam workshop mod collection which you use?

[@RbxRave]

My day got better as soon i clicked on this video

[@ElijahRion]

When is New Haven county coming back?

[@ivann2779]

maybe a few streetlight on the parkinglots would look good

[@marcusharte3856]

anyone know the name of the song around 28:00?

[@theorixlux2605]

Might be worth having the game playing with the rain on (maybe while youre afk). Apparently rain increases water levels.

[@chrisw443]

I wonder who gets more rain you in denmark or me in portland or

[@partoslaszlo8622]

I would make the college building symmetrical with two more buildings on the other side, now it looks a bit odd.

[@deltaprism1404]

Genuine question. Do you prefer the original game or this one?

[@JBCreatieve]

Did you try already building custom underground parkiing under buildings ,you can do this,i saw sully build custom undergroundd parking,its very common in europa,in my city we have lots of it. save lots of space.

[@BlazingsNL]

1:56 is that the wrong screenshot? I couldn't find anything about the crossing hahah

[@tomascampos7872]

for increase the population you need to create a university with a few low cost buldings, and maybe a college not a high school, for more jobs.