View source for Cities: Skylines - Tips and FAQ

This guide is an ongoing project that lists some answers to questions you may have about Cities: Skylines

==Zoning==
*What is the best ratio for residential to commercial to industrial when I start my game?
**5 blocks residential, 2 blocks industrial, 1 block commercial. This ratio only applies early-game.
*How far to make industrial zoning from other zoning?
**I make industrial district close enough for the pollution to barely touch my commercial zone. For residential areas, you need 2 city blocks to be safe, and maybe some trees in between.


==Roads==
*Should I use a grid layout in my city?
**No. Grid layouts leave tons of traffic on a few streets.
*What general road layout type should I make?
**(type 1) A giant circle for each type of district, with tiny dead-end roads that go into the circle but do not connect to the other side or roads.
**(type 2) A large bubble shape, with smaller bubbles added to it, creating all three-way intersections

===Initial Layout===
*What should my first road be?
**A one-way roundabout in the center of your city, with one-way streets connecting to the highway. 
*What should my second road(s) be?
**A residential district on one "side" of your traffic circle with one way streets connecting that district to the circle. Do the same with a small commercial district, and a medium industrial district. Your main traffic circle will have 4 inputs and 4 outputs.


===Intersections===
*Three vs Four vs Five way intersections?
**Try to use a lot of three-way intersections. Four-way intersections can handle less traffic, and 5 way intersections are always a nightmare.
*How close can my intersection be?
**If there is low traffic expected, you can place intersections 1 city block apart. If it is high traffic, you need 2 or more city blocks between intersections.

==Highways==
*Should I use highways in my city?
**Yes. Upgrade your main traffic circle to highway, and create at least 1 highway that goes through your initial city tile in mid-game.
*What type of highway should I use?
**If you have zoning within 2 blocks of a highway, use the one with raised sides to lower noise pollution.
===Intersections===
*Roundabout or Intersection?
**Early game - Roundabouts are easy to make, and they can handle medium traffic.
**Mid game - Intersections are harder to make, cost more, but they rarely fill up with traffic. The cloverleaf intersection is the best option really.

==Public Transit==
===Bus System===
*Should I turn up the budget for buses?
**Yes! It is cheap to turn up the budget for bus lines and it pays off with reduction of traffic. 
*Can I share bus stops with multiple lines?
**NO! it makes huge traffic jams.
*Lots of buses are grouping up, whats wrong?
**When buses share stops at the same point, a jam is created. Make sure you do not have any shared bus stops, each stop should only be for 1 bus route. Also, these could be different bus lines, so change the color of each line to see it better.
===Metro===
*Should I get a Metro?
**Yes, but once your city occupies 3 tiles.
*How close should I make metro stops?
**Make 2 in your residential zone, a stop in each industrial zone, and a stop in your 2 biggest commercial zones.
===Train===
===Boat===

==Fire Department==


==Problems==
===Land Value===
*Land value is dropping, how do I fix it?
**Figure out the problem associated with the value. Click each service type (fire, police, education, bus, etc) and make sure it has coverage next to it. Make sure you are 2 blocks away from industrial zoning. Make sure you have parks in the area and that the building is nearly turquoise in color. If you are close to a highway, lots of trees can help. If your whole district is dropping in value, you can use policies and the district manager to lower taxes, use high tech housing, etc.