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City Showcase (All games welcome) => Mayors' Diaries => Topic started by: 2b2gbi on July 31, 2019, 10:40:52 PM

Title: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: 2b2gbi on July 31, 2019, 10:40:52 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/MDs7lTr.jpg)

Hello SC4D! It's been a while! Very few of you probably remember me, I've been inactive here for quite some time, but I felt it was about time to return. I previously had an MD here call Insulo and Kaskaskia (https://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=12535.msg365341#msg365341), but unfortunately most of the images were lost when the image host I used to use died.

Earlier this year I started a new project that I call Bienville, Missouri, this time made in Cities:Skylines. I have been posting this at ST, but I recently noticed that the header for the showcase sections says all games are welcome, so I decided to start posting here as well! (If am incorrect and this is in the wrong place, please let me know.) There have been three updates now over there, along with an extra video. As of August 24th, this MD is up to date with the ST version of Bienville.

Update Index

Update One: The River Market and Bertling Park - Part One (https://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=18486.msg532659#msg532659)
Update Two: The River Market and Bertling Park - Part Two (https://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=18486.msg532688#msg532688)
Extra: Bienville Cinematic Video (https://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=18486.msg532751#msg532751)
Update Three: Bertling Park (https://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=18486.msg532802#msg532802)
Title: Re: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: 2b2gbi on July 31, 2019, 10:49:16 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/MDs7lTr.jpg)

Update One: River Market and Bertling Park - Part One

Hello SC4D!

Welcome to my new City Journal: Bienville, Missouri. Some of you may know me, most of you probably don't so I'll briefly introduce myself. My name is Jon, and I have previously authored one Mayor Diary, Insulo and Kaskaskia and the short-lived ST CJ Progress. I would link them, but due to my usage of the now-defunct Majhost and a strange issue with another host I used none of the pictures work . This is the first MD I have made in very long time (five years, to be exact) and my first ever in Cities: Skylines, but I have very high hopes for this project, so I hope you enjoy what I have to share with you.

Before we dive into the pictures, let me first introduce you to the idea behind Bienville and some basic information about the city. My goal with this project is to recreate a realistic, detailed America city. I always intended this project to be based in the central part of the United States, and eventually decided on a location in Southeastern, Missouri along the Mississippi River South of the convergence of the Mississippi and the Ohio. I chose this region because I wanted to draw inspiration from several cities in this part of the country, chiefly my hometown of Kansas City, St. Louis, and Memphis. The specific location was chosen for its location on the Mississippi River and the sparse population of the area in reality.  The city is definitely around the size of Kansas City and St. Louis, but I haven't completely nailed down its population at this point. The city has historically been very dependent on the river and railroads for transportation, and is a major industrial center. The name of the city indicates its origins, it was founded in the late 18th century by French fur-traders operating in French Louisiana, and named for the explorer and French Colonial Governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.

(https://i.imgur.com/CI6WF2Q.png)


That should be enough information to get started.

---

This first update will be the first of two or three updates focusing on two of the city's oldest districts, the River Market and Bertling Park.

The first location we are going to visit is a great indication of the city's relationship with the river and its impacts on industry and transportation in the region. While Mississippi River shipping is not in its heyday, cargo-laden barges are still a common sight along the river.

(https://i.imgur.com/IRl8KD9.jpg)

Bootheel Chemicals Incorporated, founded in 1951 by a group of local businessmen, provides and transports a variety of chemical products throughout Southeastern Missouri, Western Kentucky, and Southern Illinois. This facility, located close to downtown Bienville, is a secondary shipping and storage facility with a dock on the river to allow for the transportation of chemicals in ships and barges along the Mississippi.

(https://i.imgur.com/8jHhKLh.jpg)

The facility is also serviced by a rail connection, allowing it access to three modes of transportation. It sits along Lemoyne Drive, a small industrial road that runs along the river outside of the cities formidable levee system. This location means that the facility requires protocols for the flooding that frequently occurs along the Mississippi. In this image we can also see a ship towing several barges upriver to other industrial facilities.

The next location featured today is a construction site in the River Market district.

(https://i.imgur.com/cJDvt8M.jpg)

Only a block away from the City market and directly adjacent to a streetcar station, this is prime real estate in one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city. Before it was purchased by a developer, the lot was home to a paid parking lot. The plans for the project have been a topic of fierce debate at City Hall, where neighborhood leaders lobbied against the original proposal for the site, a fourteen-story luxury apartment building, and forced the developers to alter their plans to something that better suited the character of the area.

(https://i.imgur.com/WJuuSkx.jpg)

The primary highway access to the River Market and Bertling Park districts in provided by Interstate 224, with exits at Mississippi Avenue, the first street inside the municipal levees, and Fifth Street. The interstate bisects Bertling Park, and is surrounded on each side by vacant, overgrown lots where proximity to the interstate has inhibited redevelopment since the raised portion of the highway through Bertling Park and bridge across the river were constructed in 1958. Mississippi Avenue, shown here, is serviced by an aging partial cloverleaf interchange that has become a popular shelter for the area's homeless population. In this image we are looking north toward the River Market over the westbound exits and several businesses positioned to attract motorists exiting the freeway. One of these businesses serves a local and regional favorite, barbecue.

The scene is also situated at an access point to the districts from the Kentucky side of the river.

(https://i.imgur.com/LaOEa2O.jpg)

The Bienville Strictoaster Cafe location is located at Grand Boulevard and First Street, at the end of the Pulitzer Bridge that carries US Route 86 across the Mississippi River. The heavy traffic that traverses this intersection prompted the city to construct a jughandle exit for the eastbound lanes. They accomplished this by converting a short stretch of Rue Sauvolle, named in honor of the first colonial governor of Louisiana, into  a one-way road, and the cafe sits in the center of that junction. Although the location makes the diner somewhat difficult to access, the exposure provided by the location's visibility on one of the city's busiest thoroughfares more than offsets this disadvantage.

(https://i.imgur.com/0aEF9y9.jpg)

Located along Mississippi Avenue near the border between the River Market and Bertling Park Districts, Levee Park is a relatively new city park created as part of an initiative to revitalize Bertling Park in the early 2000's. It provides walking and biking trails along with public spaces and a playground. It was well received by residents and has become a popular part of this transforming community. Across the street, another result of the district's revitalization can be seen. The Mississippi Village Development is a large complex of mid-range apartments constructed to take advantage of the neighborhood's emergence as a trendy arts district and the resulting increase in property value. The project, however, necessitated the demolition of two entire city blocks of mixed-use properties that were aging, but not in disrepair. The demolition and construction required for the complex was delayed for years by disputes between the developers, the city, and community leaders who vehemently opposed the project. Eventually, however, the project went ahead and was completed in 2016.


(https://i.imgur.com/XcgBKfE.jpg)

The Bienville Public Library's main branch is located adjacent to Iberville Square, which has served as a public gathering place for much of the city's history. It resides in a large, richly-decorated 1887 structure that formerly served as the home of the Bienville Commodities Exchange. Inside, the library features an extensive collection of fiction and non-fiction works, along with an extensive genealogical collection, archives of local history, and the Bienville History Museum. It frequently hosts public events both in the library and on its grounds adjacent to the square.

The next two images focus on two recent, but very different, development projects located around what has historically been known as "The Junction," a three-way intersection where Grand Boulevard and Clemens Street converge at their crossing with Fourth Street.

(https://i.imgur.com/O25ga3P.jpg)

The first of these is the Market Square development, which features one mixed-use nine story tower, a 4 story residential building, and a connected three-level parking garage. This development marked the highest building built in the River Market district in many decades and was designed to have ample access to transit, including a street car station and bus stop directly adjacent to the property. This, coupled with its position within walking distance of the business district, Iberville Square, and the City Market make it a near perfect property for residents wanting independence from owning an automobile. It contrasts this distinction with its on-site parking garage, which is actually a public lot designed to provide greater access to Market Square and surrounding attractions. Among these is another development project that has received near-universal praise, a rare feat in the city, the Clemens Street Pedestrian Walk. This project, which has adopted the name "The Junction" from the meeting of the three streets, converted the short stretch of Clemens Street before it converges with Grand Boulevard and Fourth Street into a pedestrian street. A long plaza, complete with shade trees, replaced the roadway and buildings along the stretch were refurbished or renovated. The East end of the walk is capped by a small public park while the west end features a massive art installation looping above the walkway.

(https://i.imgur.com/0Eh6F7B.jpg)

This project not only improved the conditions of this historic area, but it eliminated the three-way intersection that previously had been one of the most congested and dangerous junctions in the city. The old buildings now house trendy shops and restaurants and numerous loft apartments catering to people who want move back into the city from suburbs. These two development projects have been held up examples of revitalization projects done right in a city that has seen many controversial developments.

Finally, we have arrived at the beating heart of these districts and downtown as a whole.

(https://i.imgur.com/KMvVLkl.jpg)

The City Market, which is the reason this district is referred to as the river market, features a covered outdoor marketplace and a large indoor market hall. The market building, build in 1879 as a train station, is home to numerous permanent and temporary vendors and eateries, while the outdoor area hosts twice-weekly farmers markets flush with local produce. It is one of the busiest markets in the united States, and has operated continuously in this location since 1906. Its recent resurgence in popularity has been key to the emergence of the River Market as one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city.

This brings the first update of Bienville to and end. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed creating it. Please share any ideas you have, any comments, or any criticisms. I also appreciate feedback.

Until next time, thanks for reading!
Title: Re: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: art128 on August 01, 2019, 12:43:22 AM
That's a very nice looking city you've been building.

Looking forward for more. :)
Title: Re: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: evarburg on August 01, 2019, 07:21:45 AM
WOW, CS-S has much evolved since I played its first version, at least as far as cities are concerned (...and the water. OMG, the water, still ! I can live without it "really" flowing in SC4, but the texture ! I wish there was someone who could do a new water for SC4 using that texture ! Even RFR's does not come close enough, I feel.) I hope there will be countryside pictures in your CJ -- it was my great beef with CSS, that and the transport spaghetti obsession :-). The foliage, at least, now seems up to par (or is it a trick of the photoshop kind ? ;)) Anyhow, great beginning !  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: 2b2gbi on August 16, 2019, 03:16:53 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/MDs7lTr.jpg)

Replies:

Quote from: art128 on August 01, 2019, 12:43:22 AM
That's a very nice looking city you've been building.

Looking forward for more. :)

Thank you very much.  :)

Quote from: evarburg on August 01, 2019, 07:21:45 AM
WOW, CS-S has much evolved since I played its first version, at least as far as cities are concerned (...and the water. OMG, the water, still ! I can live without it "really" flowing in SC4, but the texture ! I wish there was someone who could do a new water for SC4 using that texture ! Even RFR's does not come close enough, I feel.) I hope there will be countryside pictures in your CJ -- it was my great beef with CSS, that and the transport spaghetti obsession :-). The foliage, at least, now seems up to par (or is it a trick of the photoshop kind ? ;)) Anyhow, great beginning !  :thumbsup:

Thanks!  :)

There are some pretty nice water's for SC4 around, but I agree that is one area C:S just looks better. I do plan to do some countryside, but I'm not sure when. I kinda want to get the city center to a decent spot before I move too far out. I still haven't touched the CBD, so that is next on the agenda I think after I wrap up these older riverfront areas. You never know, though, I might get tired of the urban setting and take a break by building something more rural toward the edge of the map.

As far as the foliage, the only image editing I do to these is adding the borders and captions at the bottom. There is some very nice foliage available for the game now. Most of the foliage I use is from the C:S foliage masters Mr. Maison and pdelmo, along with grasses from the detail mod by Ronyx (these are especially useful because they can be colored to match your map's grass texture, but for anyone looking to use them read the description, they have some known bugs and are INCREDIBLY resource intensive.)




Update Two: The River Market and Bertling Park - Part Two

Hello SC4D!

Welcome back for the second update of Bienville. In this update we'll continue our tour of the River Market and Bertling Park districts of Bienville. If this is your first time reading, I recommend you go back to the first entry and read the introduction to the city and the districts we're exploring.

Our first location today is an area inside the River Market District known as Gardner Mill. The neighborhood is named for a large textile mill that once occupied the area East of Second Street between New Madrid Street and Illinois Avenue.

(https://i.imgur.com/EWhr5OR.jpg)

The mill closed during the depression, and sat abandoned for years before being demolished in 1951. The neighborhood around it faced similar struggles, but ultimately most of the area avoided the fate of its namesake, and in the late 1970's became the center of Bienville's LGBT scene when several businesses catering to the community opened in the area.

(https://i.imgur.com/uuqyXyF.jpg)

The largest and most successful of these businesses is the Colours Nightclub, which has occupied a former hotel on St. Louis Street since 1978. A large mural decorates the eastern wall of the building, and has become an icon in Bienville. The buildings to the East of the club were destroyed by a fire in the 1940's and have since been replaced by an Exxon gas station and another Beinville instiution, Harlan's Famous Ice Cream.

(https://i.imgur.com/XjZCipj.jpg)

The row of buildings across St. Louis Avenue from Colours is home to several local business, including a bar, health foods store, and a microbrewery. In recent years the craft beer scene in Bienville has exploded, and numerous breweries have opened throughout the city. This brewery features a brewpub and a large outdoor seating area, which has quickly become a popular gathering place in the neighborhood.

The entire neighborhood is served by the Gardner Mill/Chouteau Park streetcar station, which allows easy access to the area's bars and clubs from around the city. In 2006 the city installed a unique, rainbow pattern crosswalk across St. Louis Avenue between several of the most popular venues in the neighborhood and added signals to increase safety at the crossing.

(https://i.imgur.com/X5JQ3as.jpg)

Another prominent feature of the neighborhood is Chouteau Park, a small park West of Second Street between St. Louis Avenue and Illinois Avenue. The gazebo in the park is a popular location for gatherings, ranging from birthdays to weddings. Just North of the park is the recently finished River Market Community Center, which provides residents with a variety of services and gym facilities. Father South down Second Street is the future site of the Gardner Commons, a mixed-use development slated to occupy the location of an office building damaged by fire last year. Currently the project is in the final stages of demolition, and is currently projected to be completed in sometime in late 2019.

One landmark in the River Market district is the Bienville Central Post Office, located at the junction of Grand Boulevard and Forth Street.

(https://i.imgur.com/64FDn5G.jpg)

Constructed in 1911, the Beaux-Arts brick and limestone structure has been the primary post office for the city since it was built. In recent years, however, there has been discussion of moving the post office to a more modern and spacious facility elsewhere in the city.

Further to the East, Grand Avenue becomes US Route 86 and crosses the Mississippi via the Albert Neves Memorial Bridge, named for a former mayor and state senator.

(https://i.imgur.com/kXXnPpE.jpg)

The approach for the bridge begins at first street and carries the highway over Mississippi Avenue. Nestled against the bridge approach is Los Geckos, a popular local Mexican restaurant and bar. The large industrial building next to the restaurant is occupied by the offices of several companies, the largest of which is the Urban Deco architectural firm. This company has grown rapidly in recent years, and its projects can be seen throughout the city.

Following Mississippi Avenue to the South brings us to the Stuart Hall lofts, one of the largest converted industrial buildings in the River Market.

(https://i.imgur.com/0P5ybFg.jpg)

Formerly home to a cereal factory and then Stuart Hall Stationary Company, the building now houses a number of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments featuring exposed brick and rafters. It features an exercise room and an outdoor plaza with a pool. The building across Cairo Street from the lofts is still an active industrial building, and houses the warehouse of the Kruse Importing Company, which has occupied the space since 1909.

Now we will move even further South to explore the half of the Berling Park District that lies to the North of Interstate 224.

(https://i.imgur.com/XJE9NRp.jpg)

Most of the commercial activity lies along Mississippi Avenue between Kentucky Street and Bertling Street. Several local business occupy these buildings and attract clientele from the neighborhood and the traffic heading into the city from the Interstate. Behind this strip there are mostly residential buildings with some small restaurants and shops mixed in. The Holy Rosary Catholic Church, one of the largest landmarks in Bertling Park, lies just out of frame to the West.

(https://i.imgur.com/io1McvZ.jpg)

Built in 1801 and reconstructed in 1866 after it was partially destroyed by fire, the church is one of the oldest standing buildings in the city. Its 170 ft spire towers over the surrounding buildings and its small cemetery is the final resting place of several prominent figures in the history of the city. For many years the church was the tallest building in Bienville.

(https://i.imgur.com/vFStjDl.jpg)

We end this update with a view along Bertling Street at Third, near where Interstate 224 divides Berting Park in two. A businesses, like this Waffle House, have moved into this area, but in general this swath of Bertling Park has never recovered from the demolition of several blocks of housing to construct the interstate and the decreased property values from the proximity to the noisy thoroughfare. Much of the area was declared blighted by the city government in the 1980's and demolished, leaving behind large empty lots, some of which still sit vacant while others have been converted to parking lots, auto shops, or self-storage facilities.

---

Thank you everyone for reading, and thank you for all the positive feedback on the first update. I mentioned in the first update that I was considering creating some video content for Bienville, which I have since put some work into and am excited to be able to show you sometime in the next week.

Until next time.
Title: Re: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: 2b2gbi on August 20, 2019, 06:34:11 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/MDs7lTr.jpg)

Hello SC4D!

So, I mentioned in my last entry that some Bienville video content would be coming, and here it is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NW2_GhMpF8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NW2_GhMpF8)

I'm overall pretty happy with how it turned out, but I still need to work on figuring out how to make the video a bit more smooth. I also encountered a few issues recording and I think because of a conversion I had to do on some of the video a few parts are a bit lower quality. If anyone has any tips to improve cinematics recorded in Cities: Skylines I'd love to hear them.

Hope you all enjoyed, thank you for watching and reading!
Title: Re: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: art128 on August 21, 2019, 12:02:19 AM
Nice video! Though the camera moves a bit too fast to be able to see the details, I think.
Title: Re: Bienville, Missouri - A Cities:Skylines Mayor Diary
Post by: 2b2gbi on August 24, 2019, 06:21:47 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/MDs7lTr.jpg)

Replies:

Quote from: art128 on August 21, 2019, 12:02:19 AM
Nice video! Though the camera moves a bit too fast to be able to see the details, I think.

Thank You! I agree, I'm still getting the hang of video editing. To make a smooth cinematic from this game involves recording slowed-down footage then speeding it up, and I don't think I really found the sweet spot with the speed of the pans. It's something I'll have to work on in the future.




Update Three: Bertling Park

Hello SC4D!

In this update we will continue to explore one of the oldest districts in the city, Bertling Park. We'll begin with an overview shot of Interstate I-224, which divides the Bertling Park district in two. The construction of the corridor in 1958 required the razing of several blocks in the heart of the district and devastated the local economy. Empty lots still line the freeway on both sides in spite of the recent gentrification of the area.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8hj8D.png)

These empty lots and the interchanges along the highway have long been the domain the of the city's homeless population. In this next image we see the partial-cloverleaf interchange that provides access to Mississippi Avenue, under which a temporary settlement has been constructed in spite of the city's efforts to push the city's homeless far from the eyes of the city's more affluent residents. Across Mississippi Avenue is Southeast Beverage Distribution, which distributes beer from the city's blossoming craft breweries to local bar, restaurants, and stores.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8h0Qq.png)

On the other side of Interstate 224 lies the southern, less dense half of Bertling Park. The area along Mississippi Avenue has recently been the target of investment from the municipal government, which gave significant subsidies to a developer to encourage the development of a commercial area anchored by a grocery store. Their goal was to attempt to cut into the food desert that deprives many of the residents of the city's southern inner-city neighborhoods of fresh, healthy food. The result, Bertling Gateway, replaced several industrial buildings, 3 commercial properties, and vacant lots with a Bock Family Grocers, a McDonald's, and an IHOP restaurant. The Love's Travel Center across the street, which along with a Blue Beacon Truck Wash serves truckers heading to industrial areas further South along Mississippi Avenue, was also remodeled and modernized as part of the project.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8aUm2.png)

The truck wash itself was not remodeled, but the property was beautified with new landscaping to meet the city's standards for the area. The development was generall well-received by the community, although some raised concerns about traffic along the Mississippi Avenue corridor and the inclusion of chain fast-food and fast-casual restaurants rather than local, healthier options.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8h8IF.png)

Further West along I-224 lies one of the centers of the Bertling Park community, Crosno Preparatory School. Originally constructed in 1899 as the Crosno School, it was rebuilt in 1918 as Crosno High School. I served as the neighborhood high school until 2002, when the school became a magnet school in the Bienville School District, drawing high-achieving students from around the southern urban core. This transformed the school into one of the highest-rated schools in the state, but also means many students now have to attend a school much further from their homes in a less-safe area.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8ayyT.png)

As part of the reclassification in 2002, the school was significantly upgraded. The interior was remodeled and central air was installed, replacing the window units that had been required before. The old stadium and gymnasium were also destroyed and replaced with modern facilities. This lead to negative outcry from some community leaders, who pointed out that school had been left in a sorry state for many years prior and that no such renovations had been undertaken at the high school most of the students in the neighborhood would now be bused to.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8aPFo.jpg)

Just to the East of the school is a residential area characterized by apartments and townhouses, many constructed from brick produced from the abundant clay deposits in the region. At the corner of Robidoux Street and Fourth Street, directly across from the high school, a former general store has been converted by the Bertling Park Historic Society into a small history highlighting the history of the area. The area was first settled when the French settlement expanded southward into the present-day district as their fur-trading and exploitation of Southern Missouri's rich mineral resources expanded. After the French abandoned their colony to the Americans in 1804, these original French settlers were gradually replaced by American settlers coming from the East. The area, however, remained largely rural until the arrival of German immigrants in the decades preceding the Civil War. It was at this time that a settlement was established in the center of the modern-day district and the area was given its name. The name honors Johann Bertling, who divided up his land to establish a town in 1831.  A relic of this Teutonic legacy can be seen farther East along Robidoux Street, where the Bertling Park Lutheran Church towers over the neighborhood. Most Germans left the area in the 1920's and were replaced by immigrants from Italy and Ireland along with African-Americans migrating from the rural areas of the American South. Today, the neighborhood is still home to many fresh immigrants, many of whom are now Vietnamese. Gentrification in recent years, however, has priced most immigrants out of the neighborhood and pushed the centers of their communities further South and West.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8ab8C.png)

The demographic changes in the neighborhood did, for many years, shutter the Bertling Park Lutheran Church. The building became a Baptist church in 1928, and was home to various congregations throughout the 20th century. The church was returned to its original denomination in 2011 to serve the growing population in the downtown area. The cemetery adjacent to the church is home to the resting places of many prominent people in the neighborhood's history. Across from the church is the Robidoux Dog Park, opened in 2015 as part of the city's efforts to replace vacant lots in the area. The off-leash park has become a popular attraction for dog-owners in the area, as it has the distinction of being the closest off-leash dog park to downtown Bienville.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8hWu0.png)

The other centerpiece of Bertling Park South of the interstate is Truman Green Park. A large expanse of open grass dotted by trees featuring a playground, event space, and a public swimming pool. The hall in the center of the park was built in 1922 as a monument to the local soldiers who fought and died in the Great War. In the past the park was home to crime and was a frequent location for illegal dumping, but recently the city has stepped up its maintenance efforts and a fundraising campaign paid for restoration of the memorial hall.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8aFI9.jpg)

In the area around the park and continuing to the South, a transition can be observed from apartment buildings into detached homes, some of which are quite large. Osage Avenue, which starts in Betling Park at the junction of Chouteau Boulevard and Third Street and continues in to the adjacent Colline Royale neighborhood to the South, is dotted with large estates built by the city's merchants and business men as growth pushed them further and further from the city center. Although few of the original stately homes remain, long after the leaders of the city moved on the most successful members of the upstart immigrant communities that made the district their home. In recent years they have become the center of the gentrification of the community.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8hAm3.png)

To the West, Fifth Street and Truman Trafficway form the western perimeter of Bertling Park. In the image below we see the junction between these two streets. As it moves southward, 5th Street turns to the Southeast to match the grid in Bertling Park. In its place, Truman Trafficway continues to the South at the angle of the grid of the other adjacent districts. The city has made efforts to increase the safety of drivers and pedestrians at their meeting by directing traffic to avoid sharp turns with slip lanes and restricted turning directions. Along the two arteries there are a number of small businesses and a few fast-food restaurants. In recent years some of the ethnic restaurants and shops that previously prevailed have been edged out by art galleries and coffee shops as the area has become a center of the arts scene in Bienville.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8aGRb.png)

Following Fifth Street to the North brings us back to the northern half of Bertling Park, where the district is closest to downtown Bienville. In 2012 several small retail buildings and vacant lots along I-224 were replaced with a new office building known as De la Salle Plaza. The shining new offices tower above the interstate and show people entering the city entering from the East the progress of urban Bienville, which had seen little new construction since a building boom in the 1980's.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8aa77.png)

The area around the new De la Salle Plaza building is known as Bratcher's Lot, a historic working-class neighborhood that has served as the home to many generations of people working in the nearby industrial areas of the city. Today the neighborhood is popular with young people moving into the city, and is filled with restored apartments with skyrocketing rents that have forever transformed the face of this area.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8acov.png)

One sign of this transformation can be found at Fourth Street and Duchesne Street. The former home of the Boothell Stationery Company, founded in 1911, has been converted into loft apartments with the help of municipal tax abatement. Several adjacent buildings were leveled to make room for the parking lot for residents, which includes private garages that can be used by tenants who pay an additional monthly fee.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8axez.png)

One defining feature of this neighborhood is its close proximity to the Government Disctrict and City Hall which towers over the low-rise buildings in the neighborhoods closer to the river. Completed in 1931, the twin-spire building stands contains 35 stories and stands at 471 feet. Around the base of the tower and throughout the Government district there are several plazas and open spaces. Along Duchesne Street there are several pull-off locations reserved for food trucks that the city encourages to park in the area to provide lunch options for the many city and federal employees that fill the district's buildings. We will return to the Government District for a more thorough tour in a future update.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8ahUr.png)

At the corner of Illinois Avenue and Fifth Street lies the City Hall transit hub. This area features a large bus stop on Fifth Street, the City Hall streetcar station on Illinois Avenue, and a park and ride lot serving both stations and providing a way for people exiting I-224 to access the transit options serving the greater downtown area. A large fountain, predating the park and ride facility, serves as the centerpiece for the area. Another part of the city's efforts to improve public transit and access in the urban areas of the city can be seen along Fifth Street, which features one of the city's first protected bike lanes.

(https://i.lensdump.com/i/i8awJ5.png)

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Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you enjoyed this exploration of what I created and the stories surrounding it. As I mentioned I am going to try to make this a monthly MD, but some uncertainty in my life makes it impossible for me to guarantee this. I may also try to make some more video content featuring Bienville in the future or a behind-the-scenes update more focused on building, so I'd love to hear your feedback on those ideas. I'm also thinking about adding some interactive things like having polls to decided what is built in certain areas, so let me know what you think about that as well. Finally, with this update the SC4D version of Bienville is now up to date with the ST version and will receive updates at the same time.

Thanks again!

Until next time.