Phase 2: Propagation
At the end of phase one, your city is still in its infancy, with, in all probability, a small population, mostly employed in making you money. In order to grow your city, while still remaining self-sufficient, you will gradually need to look towards a second source of income: taxes.When the first housing block reaches small casa, I add a forum, and put my tax rate above 0 for the very first time. Thereafter, a forum is added to every housing block as soon as it reaches small casa. Everyone in the city must pay their way. Of course, while you will make a fair amount of money by taxing your workforce, it is much more lucrative to tax a different group of people: those wine-swilling patricians.
The first act of phase two in my cities is to begin the first patrician housing block. I always try to evolve Patrician housing to the highest possible level: Luxury Palace if possible, Grand Villa if not. An additional plebeian block is developed alongside the patrician block to provide the necessary labour.
Depending on the target population, and prosperity, it may be necessary to add a second patrician block, together with another plebeian block to supply labour.
In addition to the patrician blocks, phase two also involves the establishment of domestic finished goods industries to supply the patrician blocks, and, later, the plebeian blocks. Once again, additional plebeian blocks may be necessary to furnish the required number of employees.
Phase two of my cities ends when all the patrician blocks, most of the plebeian blocks, and the domestic industries have been established. Your target prosperity rating and population should now be within your reach. You now enter the finishing straight.
Phase 3: Termination
Phase three is the endgame. In the last few years of my cities, I set tidying up all the loose ends in my city. In other words, I attend to my culture rating. The employees required for this task are usually furnished by developing my plebeian blocks to their final level (usually small insulae), and occasionally by adding an additional plebeian block. Libraries, Theatres, Schools and Academies are added wherever there is space. Nowadays the majority of my housing blocks contain space for additional culture buildings, but a degree of 'culture parking' tends to occur if my target is 100 culture. Once you have achieved your culture rating, you have only to wait for that peace rating to rise.
You will notice that I referred to the four phases of city-building. Doubtless you are wondering what happened to phase four. Well, I have been a little bit sneaky here. The fourth phase of citybuilding is actually the first - phase zero, as it were.Phase 0: Planning
This is, in my opinion, the most important phase of city-building. Many mistakes can be avoided by the simple expedient of a little planning. However, the amount of planning you do is entirely up to you. That said, I would recommend the following as a bare minimum:
- Exports
What you intend to export and how many raw material producers and workshops you will need. Also where export industries will be located.
- Housing areas
The approximate location of any housing areas, and the intended housing level.
- Food and Goods
The location of farms/wharves, and the approximate location of domestic goods industries.
- Military
The composition of your army, and the approximate location of any defences (walls, towers, forts).
Hope this was useful to someone 
Alan
Please note that some clarification has been added following Brugle's excellent comments
[This message has been edited by Caesar Alan (edited 08-18-2000).]
posted 08-18-00 04:24 ET (US)
