The City & County of Honolulu

[sumwonyuno]

A project based on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu.

To go to Reconstruction, click this link.

If you want to read the legacy chapters, continue below.



The City & County of Capitalis Chapters

Description:
Capitalis, Paradise is known throughout the SimWorld as the premiere island getaway.  In contrast to the visitor stereotypes of a tacky tourist mecca or a tropical urban utopia, this modern metropolis attempts to balance preservation and progress, the environment with the economy, and its past with its prospects, with its laid-back charm and lack of self-esteem.



A Message From the City & County of Capitalis:



Greetings and welcome to the City & County of Capitalis, the capital of the State of Paradise.

In January 2008, the great Administrator of the Capitalis region, Sum Won Yuno, initiated an initiative to create a SimCity story.  The City is mandated to publish a non-political informational compilation of important City issues regarding our island home.  Although this taxpayer-funded project has exceeded its budget and its release is a year over schedule, the great Administrator believes this endeavor to be worthwhile.

Unfortunately, the unionized City employees are unable to release the SimCity story in full at this time.  Labor regulations and the economy notwithstanding, Mayor Finn Nemuhanam assures all interested parties that the complete project will be up for public review at a reasonable time in the future.  The City does not intend to have an air of secrecy.  Under Paradise Sunshine laws, an air of anticipation is allowed.

Also under Paradise Sunshine laws, the Capitalis City Council has requested that the public be allowed to participate.  Transparency is a goal of the City.  Story chapter releases will be a roughly a week apart, to allow ample time for a comment period, and allow enough time for the City administration to revise releases to its standards of acceptability.

As a last reference for Paradise Sunshine laws, for the time being, the great Administrator reluctantly acknowledges that plugins, such as additions and mods, and constructive strategies [a.k.a. cheats], may have been used in the Capitalis region, in numerous instances.

The City & County of Capitalis invites anyone that wishes to be informed to regularly check this thread for the upcoming updates.  Enjoy your stay.

***Available at both SC4Devotion and Simtropolis***



City & County of Capitalis Table of Contents:
01.  [07-31-2009] Introduction
02.  [07-31-2009] Overview
03.  [08-02-2009] Government and Taxes
04.  [08-07-2009] Capitalis Capitol District
05.  [08-14-2009] Downtown Capitalis Part I
06.  [08-21-2009] Downtown Capitalis Part II
07.  [08-28-2009] Downtown Capitalis Part III
08.  [09-04-2009] East Capitalis
09.  [09-11-2009] Windward City
10.  [09-18-2009] West Capitalis
11.  [09-25-2009] Diamond Harbor
12.  [10-02-2009] Windward Coast
13.  [10-09-2009] North Coast
14.  [10-16-2009] Central Community
15.  [10-23-2009] Leeward City Part I
16.  [10-26-2009] Leeward City Part II
17.  [10-30-2009] Leeward Coast

[sumwonyuno]

Overview



Our focus starts in the middle of the SimPacific Ocean, to the most isolated islands in the SimWorld:  the Paradisian Archipelago.  The islands and atolls stretch 1500 miles across the ocean, and are the peaks of an underwater mountain range.  At the southeast end of the archipelago, there are 8 major islands.  The City & County of Capitalis is located on Community Island, and this is where our story will be told.



Although the great Administrator perpetuates a myth that he created Community Island with his own hands, scientists have their own theories and evidence.  The Paradisian Archipelago is believed to be the result of 80 million years of a stationary geological hot-spot and a moving tectonic plate.

Community Island is estimated to be between 2.8 and 3.5 million years old.  The remains of two ancient volcanoes, Vai'anae and Ko'orau, form the twin rugged mountain ranges of the island.  Erosion has caused massive landslides, resulting in a much smaller and irregularly-shaped island.



About 2 million years ago, secondary volcanic activity occured, which resulted in numerous small craters.  The majority of these craters are clustered within the Capitalis stretch of the Community Island southern shore.  These craters and the original volcanoes are considered extinct, so there is almost no chance of Capitalis being destroyed by lava, excluding mischief by the great Administrator.

Capitalis Region General Information*:
2007 Population Estimate:905,034 Sims
Total Area: 119 large city tiles/744 sq. mi/1904 sq. km
Land Area: 596 sq. mi/1527 sq. km
Density: 1518 Sims per sq. mi/592 Sims per sq.km

Note:  Due to bad gameplay manipulation and unrealistic game mechanics, standard numbers used by independent entities, such as the Census Repository,  are flawed.  The City & County of Capitalis uses statistics compiled by the great Administrator for use in official information, which includes this story.

Climate:
Paradise arguably has the best weather in the SimWorld, with balmy, sunny days almost year round.  Here is also one of the least variations in average temperatures.  Its location in the tropics is one reason, but because it's surrounded by ocean, temperatures relatively near sea level do not change rapidly.  The recorded temperature range has been between 53 and 95 degrees Farenheit in Capitalis.  To the local Sim, anything outside the 70 degree range is uncomfortable.


[Sunrise over Tareakara on Valley Island]

For most of the year, trade winds come in from the northeast, which bring in cool breezes and rainfall.  Naturally, the windward sides of the islands are in the north and east, while the leeward sides are in the south and west.  When trade winds are not blowing, light and arid Kona [south] winds bring in vog [volcanic fog] from the Large Island, and possible stormy weather.


[Coastal valley on the Large Island]


[Inside Pearl Head Crater on Community Island]

There are only two seasons, the wet season [October through April] and the dry season [May through September].  Trade winds are prevalent in the wet season and Kona winds in the dry season.  Hurricane season is June to December, although hurricanes hitting the islands are rare.  Weaker tropical disturbances are more common.

Due to geography and topography, there are microclimates on all the major islands.  Areas several miles apart, and in some cases, adjacent valleys, can have completely different weather at the same time.  The only climate types not found in Paradise are artic and tundra.  Deserts, temperate, tropical and sub-artic do occur in one or more areas on various islands.  Though, the mountains of Community Island do not have the elevation to produce sub-artic microclimates.


[Above the clouds on Tareakara]

[Fabian93]

Very interesting start here 
Been looking forward to this journal since i saw a picture of your region in some "Show us your ......" -thread (i believe).
The island looks perfect - I really like the farmfields in the middle of the two hills and the big cities along the coast - very good. 

Fabian

[Battlecat]

Very cool start!  That first map looks very cool indeed.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of the details!

[Q-Tips]

Your region looks realistic and very detailed. Looks very good and i am realy looking forward to see how this will go.

[nedalezz]

That is a huge region! A gorgeous island, and the fact its been developed fully through urban centers and farmland, wow. That mustve taken alot of work. Great start, and your storytelling is top notch as well

[mayormalsy]

Great start!, can't wait to see more, looks like it's going to very interesting.

malc

[Sciurus]

As Nedelazz said, it's a huge region, and incroyable. I hope to see beautiful pics of your cities

Guillaume

[sumwonyuno]

Government:
The position of the great Administrator of the Capitalis region is sanctioned by the SimWorld hegemony of SimNation.  This position is self-appointed, voluntary and non-political.  The great Administrator does have direct powers with regards to transportation, zoning/development, utilities, terraforming and applicable physical laws.  In addition, the great Administrator usually reserves the right to not interfere with State or City affairs and duties, or meddle in the personal lives of the Sims of the Capitalis region.

The State of Paradise is the 50th State of the United States of Simerica.



The governments of the State of Paradise and the City & County of Capitalis are modeled after traditional Simerican practices, but with some deviations.  Under the Paradise Constitution, there are only the State and four Counties; no legal, governing entities such as "cities", "towns", etc. exist.



The functions of government are highly centralized.  At the State level, transportation [highways, seaports, airports], courts and corrections, education, healthcare, social welfare, civil defense, electricity generation, telecommunications, land use and the tax structure are administered.



Counties are responsible for local streets, traffic management, public transportation, water/sewage, police, firefighting, emergency response and sanitation.



Capitalis has a mayor-council system, with 3 branches of government, and all seats filled by elected officials.  The Mayor has executive powers, the City Council has legislative and budget powers, and the independent Prosecuting Attorney represents on behalf of the Sims of Capitalis in criminal cases.

The "City" of Capitalis, its metro, Capitalis County and Community Island are under the same local government entity:  The City & County of Capitalis.  Under the Paradise Constitution, the City & County has jurisdiction over all uninhabited islands and atolls not incorporated in the other 3 counties.  The result is one of the largest municipalities [in terms of population, area and length] in the United States of Simerica.




Taxes:
Paradise consistently ranks as being among the highest taxed states in Simerica.  The scope of the State's responsibilities is one major reason why.  Under the State's tax structure, there are 3 categories:  income taxes, the General Excise Tax (GET) and property taxes.  Income taxes and the GET are the State's main sources of revenue, while property taxes are a County responsibility.

State income taxes are progressive; below-average rates on R$ and R$$, and one of the highest for R$$$.

The GET is not a sales tax, but a business transaction tax.  A rate of 0.5% is applied to wholesale, while 4% is applied to everything else.  Food and presciptions are exempted.  Although it is the business who is liable to file the tax, the bill for the GET is almost always passed on to its customers.  The GET's breadth and compound behavior, especially for transactions across multiple entities, makes it regressive and lucrative.



Property taxes are the main revenue source for the Counties.



In the City & County of Capitalis, buildings and land are valued separately.  Several independent real estate companies provide estimates, and these are compared to similar properties in the area.  The sum of the averages of individual buildings are added to the average land value estimate, to create a property's total value.  Rates are applied per $1000 of total property value, and the rate depends on the zone type, not wealth level

The following are the rates effective as of July 01, 2009:

Note:  Government property is not taxed.

It is interesting to note that residential property tax rates in Capitalis have always been among the lowest in Simerica.  Property tax valuations use current market value.  Capitalis is one the most expensive real estate markets in the SimWorld because of land prices.  The result is the City is able to have a multi-billion dollar yearly budget, and its taxpayers, comparatively, pay much less in residential property taxes than most places, though, taxpayers have their own opinions.

Starting next chapter, the story will go into an Island Tour arc, where the areas of Community Island will be showcased.



***Replies

Fabian93:  I posted a teaser in the region shots thread, it quickly got buried.  But, wow!  I have an early follower!  Hope the wait was worth it.

Battlecat:  Thanks.  Glad to find out you like the picture, it was meant to shock readers into awe and anticipation for more.

Q-Tips:  Thank you very much, the region took all of my skills and experience to make it.

nedalezz:  Heh, it is a huge region, and took a year and a half to finish the island.  I'm proud that it actually was finished.  And, thanks for noticing the story!

mayormalsy:  Thanks, I hope I'll be able to keep up your (and everyone's) interest through all of the updates to come!

Sciurus:  Thank you, and I hope the upcoming Island Tour will exceed your expectations.

[sumwonyuno]

Note: The City recognizes that certain events in Paradise history are controversial.  In order to comply with the terms of service of the mediums used to convey this SimCity story, much of the historical and political background of Paradise and Capitalis have been omitted, in order to prevent debate on certain issues.  Historical facts are used to frame better understanding, but are not used as focal points of the story.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the islands, known as Paradise today, have been inhabited by SimPolynesian peoples for thousands of years.  The oldest settlements found on Community Island are 800 years old.

After first contact by SimEuropeans in the 18th century, the islands in the middle of the SimPacific became an strategic point in worldwide trade.  The most important harbor was known as Tonoruru.  Its depth, its size and a protective reef made Tonoruru the best deepwater port in the islands.



From the largest island, Tavai'i, a royal chief named Kapetapeta united the multiple chiefdoms of the 8 islands into one, the Kingdom of Tavai'i.  His decendants made pivotal changes that modernized the Kingdom.

The capital of the Kingdom of Tavai'i was moved to Tonoruru Harbor.  This new capital, Kapetalis, was envisioned to be the center of government, trade and education for the Kingdom.  However, the name Tavai'i changed to Paradise, and Kapetalis changed to Capitalis, following certain events.

Around the Capitalis Harbor, industry and commerce grew.  Residential communities spread from the harbor, across the narrow coastal plain and into nearby valleys.  For the first half of the 20th century, Capitalis was a quiet, low-rise port town.  The tallest building was the Capitalis Harbor Tower.  The 10-story tower was the clock of the city and control center for the harbor.




On the eve of the 1960's, Capitalis started its boomtown era.  It would become the exotic place of opportunity of the SimWorld, where this town would be transformed into a modern metropolis.

"In-town" Capitalis covers an area of several square miles, and is made up of multiple small districts.



The Capitol District contains the bulk of government buildings of the State of Paradise, the City & County of Capitalis and various federal agencies.



The 'Iorani Palace was the residence of the ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Tavai'i.  It is now a museum of the only royal palace in Simerica.



Next to 'Iorani Palace are the Royal and State Archives.  The State Library is the biggest public library in the islands.



In front of 'Iorani Palace and the State Library is Capitalis' "Main Street", King Street.  Across the street is a statue of Kapetapeta the Great.  Behind the statue are historical buildings from Capitalis' earlier years.  Ari'iorani Tare was once the main government building of the Kingdom of Tavai'i.  Today, the building houses the State Supreme Court.



To the north of 'Iorani Palace is the Paradise State Capitol.  The State executive and legislative branches have their offices here.  This "square" building features a large open-air plaza in the center, and water pools on each side.



Across Britannia Street from the Paradise State Capitol is SimWashington Place.  Until recently, this mansion was home for the Governor of the State.  This residence too was converted into a museum.



Juicebowl Street separates the State and City sections of the Capitol District.  On the other side of the street, Capitalis Capitol is the "City Hall" of the City & County of Capitalis.  The Mayor and the City Council have their offices here.



To the east is the Capitalis Civic Center, a public green space that hosts many events.  At the end of the block is the Capitalis Municipal Building, which houses the most of the City departments.



Across King Street from Capitalis Capitol is the Kavaiata'o Church, the first House of Worship in Paradise.  Next to the church are a cemetary and several preserved houses from early Simerican missionaries.



At the southern border of the Capitol District is the Prince Kutio Federal Building.

[dizflip]

Dang! Really breathtaking aerial! And nice city! 

[danielcote]

nice city its actualy looking pretty good. By the way where did you get that city hall fix?

[evertonforever1]

your MD is crying out to me for more custom content! 
nice layout though... and story/senario.

[emgmod]

more custom content! 

There isn't a lot of Hawaii related content out there. I think I'll try making custom content just to get rid of the Maxis things in this MD.

Anyway, this is an amazing recreation. Can you show me a close-up of my house later?

[sumwonyuno]

***Replies***

dizflip:  Thanks for visiting and enjoying the pictures!

danielcote:  Thanks.  I got that plugin on the Simtropolis Modds & Downloads Page (it's not there anymore).  But, you can use the SC4 Extra Cheats .dll, use the lotplop code, and look for Rw3x4_ ... Large/Medium/Small... _CityHall, select and plop down.

evertonforever1:  Yes, as emgmod pointed out, there isn't much for Hawaii (only the Arizona Memorial and maps).  I do have a lot of custom content, it's just that they don't "fit" (height limits, architectural style, lot size, etc.); you'll see many custom highrises in the next 3 chapters.  I tried making my own BATs, just took too long.  My main goal was recreating the roadways.  Buildings, neighbhorhoods were secondary.  IMO, the Maxis and chosen custom content are decent surrogates for the real thing.

emgmod:  Wow, you're the second person from Hawaii I've seen on this forum!   I got family and friends living in Waipahu!  I couldn't ever finish the island if I had to recreate everything (locals would just complain, "Dat no look like ____!").  Fictionalizing everything is easier and gets around talking about the controversial history of Hawaii.  Too bad, I couldn't find anything close to Aloha Stadium or the concrete elevated viaduct for the rail [spoiler].  And, I'm not soliciting, but I would really appreciate any content you make. Boxy, beige and white, lanais, plantation-style, tiny houses and small streets are really lacking in the region.  Send me a private message with a neighbor's address (so I don't know your real house) and I'll send you a picture of that area.

[sumwonyuno]

To the west of the Capitol District are two important commercial areas.

Downtown Capitalis is the Central Business District of Paradise.  Commercial office (CO) buildings here are the headquarters of the top local financial businesses.  Banks and insurance companies hold the majority of office space here.




Numerous residential buildings are located in Downtown.  Some CO buildings were converted into residential, as the housing market in Capitalis is fiercely competative.  R$$ Sims inhabit the majority of these buildings.  In recent years, R$$$ high-rises were built, reflecting the high demand for housing within the Capitalis urban core.




The newest CO building in Downtown Capitalis is the First Paradisian Center, built in 1996.  It currently holds the title of being the tallest building in the State.  The building is the headquarters of the First Paradisian Bank.



To the west is SimChinatown.  This area has always been where immigrants begin their lives in Capitalis.  Towards the mountains, R$ and R$$ apartments crowd Brittania Street.  Towards the harbor, the buildings of the low-rise past are preserved.  The Nu'uanu River acts as a border between SimChinatown and the lower Ririta area.




Historically, SimChinatown was known for vice and poverty.  In the recent past, the City and the neighborhood have taken steps to take the area back from the criminal elements.  Today, SimChinatown is bustling with open-air markets of locally-grown organic produce, speciality shops, art galleries, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.  The area's problems are still visible, but significantly less than before.




Ivirei was once a system of fishponds.  The ponds were filled in to expand the cargo and industrial capacity of Capitalis Harbor.  In the early 20th century, Ivirei was a manufacturing center and the rail hub of Capitalis.  The Community Rail & Land Company (CR&L Co.) rail lines ended at 'A'ara Park and interfaced with the Capitalis Rapid Transit Company (CRT Co.) streetcar system.  Produce from the plantations were processed here, before they were shipped all over the world.  Today, Ivirei is being redeveloped into a retail and high tech district.



Gravel Island is across the harbor from Downtown Capitalis.  It was originally two separate islands and a shallow reef.  As Capitalis Harbor was expanded and dredged, a single island was created.  In the 19th century, the island was used for quarantine and had an incinerator.  Today, Gravel Island handles much of the harbor cargo capacity, has an industrial park and is the site of Capitalis' main water treatment plant.

[Scarton]

This is a good CJ. I think the "Paradisian Center" pic is great!

[emgmod]

While taking TheBus through this area today (and cursing at the multiple accidents/road closures) I'm wondering what the traffic is the area is like.
In addition, do you place your bus stops in the same place as in RL?

[danielcote]

Nice city Very modern and the network of pedways make it look even nicer!

[sumwonyuno]

***Replies***

citycapitalizer:  Thank you very much!

emgmod:  Yeah, there's that gas leak on Beretania Street (for reference, see first Downtown mosaic, by the House of Worship, right side of picture).  Hope it's fixed before UH starts (gotta take TheBus through there going home).  I use Simulator Z, it's done a great job for multi-tile commutes.  But because of the neighbor-connection-is-closer bug, commute patterns definitely don't match real life.  I'm using the Ultra setting, and even at that setting, traffic's bad.  Well, in town, I've done my best to put bus stops in their correct places, using some Maxis stops and RTMT lots.  But outside of town, I forgot  .  I could try to put buses in the suburbs, but since buses add to traffic in Simulator Z, congestion will still be bad.

danielcote:  Thanks!  Though, I have to admit, the only other ped malls you'll see is at the University of Paradise at Panoa (chapter 7).

Note: (I don't think anyone notices) I've changed the first mosaic picture:  the pedestrian mall has been extended to the left of the twin white buildings.  (compare with the Capitalis Harbor Tower mosaic in the fourth chapter)