Qumma - From Desert to Rose (June 3rd - The CocoWalk)

[spa]

This is a very impressive region with a unique style. You carry off the desert motif convincingly. Great job.

[Pat]

First off great last few updates here and i love the progress you have made.....



Now where in the world did you find that construction site... that is wicked....

[tkirch]

Airport is looking great!  The whole desert feel is just amazing. 

[nedalezz]

UPDATE SEVENTEEN
FURSAN HITS 20,000

As the 5th Year draws to a close, Fursan has eclipsed 20,000 residents. Around town, one of the most common sounds is the drills and machinery of construction. As the town has grown, it has become evident that it could face two major problems if they are left unattended. The first problem is the traffic issue; the density has grown substantially, but the roads remain narrow and only capable of two lanes. Although there is no problem presently, at Fursan's rate of growth, it is inevitable if it is not taken care of now. The 2nd problem faces any business trying to open in Fursan today; there is simply a severe lack of space for construction inside the town itself.  Businesses are forced to look towards the outskirts of town, away from the center, something which negatively impacts both potential investment and potential business.

The QEC, however, believe they have come up with a solution for both these problems. They have granted permission for work on a new, as of yet unnamed avenue which will circle around the current boundaries of Fursan, before shifting towards the coast both to the north (where it will connect to the old road that heads towards the Fursan Oil Port), and to the south (where it will replace the road that heads in that direction just to the south of the new Berber Dawa Royal Park.)

The current town of Fursan is already being dubbed as the "Old Town" by locals as they witness the construction the new avenue, along with the construction of buildings around it. The QEC has been careful, however, with the land around the avenue; it has been giving the plots to the public one by one. As the avenue expands, they present the plots connected to it, but they are not presenting any plots that the avenue has not passed through yet.

A few more businesses have opened in the area, namely Waddle's Restaurant, and the general store called Dollar General, in direct competition with Champion Supermarket. Fouad Kher, the owner of Champion Supermarket, made it a point to slash prices on the opening day of Dollar General, and has further reduced his margin in hopes of maintaining his daily sales. Dollar General, which is owned by a consortium, has begun importing its own brand of foodstuff, differentiating itself from the competition. Daily sales for Champion Supermarket have been approximately $3,500, while Dollar General daily sales hover around $2,750.

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The St. Patrick Cathedral, built on the outskirts of the new commercial district, is the one of the tallest buildings in all of Qumma. It was constructed by the QEC itself for its minority catholic citizens, after opening the Qumma Holy Mosque to the public. Not wanting to alienate any of its citizens, the QEC put money and constructed the cathedral according to an approved drawing by the catholics in town. The end result left everybody happy, with the cathedral having been given land in the Catholic Quarter of Fursan.

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Finally, the QEC have constructed the Berber Dawa Royal Park around the Presidential Lane, in order to clamp down on visitors to the area. A pass must be given to any visitor at both ends of the Presidential Lane, and the only buildings which can be visited are the Qumma Cultural Center and the Qumma Holy Mosque. The other 3 buildings are strictly off limits and any trespassing is a direct criminal offense that is taken very seriously.

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To end things off, here are two aerial shots of Fursan: the first is a night shot, and the second is one of me playing around with Photoshop. Enjoy!

[rooker1]

Very nice piece of history/news and awesome pics my friend.  I really like the construction sites, very nice touch.  The night shots look very good as well.
I also like the star effect you used in the night shots on the water. 


Robin   

[Yoman]

You are a genius my friend!

Even though Fursan has outgrown its original bounds you keep everything interesting. I wonder how long until the first apartment tower? *cough* cal's new one would look great near the coast *cough*

I'm glad that anyone with a pass can still visit the cultural center and mosque as well

As always I look forward to next time, how long until a small bulk port becomes necessary  ?

[bokrif]

Love the growing of Fursan, love the expansion. And I wait for the first not-mediterranean residential blocks too appear - maybe to house the poor.
Good job!

[Jmouse]

Fursan is really growing rapidly, nedalezz. As always, you are taking the time to show things like construction sites which make me feel almost like a part of the development process. I feel like I'm there witnessing the growth and increasing strength of Fursan.
The photos are great and you already know how I feel about night shots!

Until next time...
Joan

[Pat]

Man Nedalezz that was a stunning Update, very goood my friend and wonderful job on Qumma!!!

[thundercrack83]

The second picture from the top is breathtaking...Well, they all are, I should say! But that second one, I caught myself staring at it for a while, the angle and the lighting. It's just fantastic! Keep up the good work, my friend! I love visiting here!

[bat]

Great pictures at day and night! Great work there! The last picture of that 17^th Update is looking wonderful!

[kwakelaar]

Very nice overview pictures, and some great work with the LotEditor. The pictures from the construction of the new avenue is a great way of presenting new developments. I always enjoy the slow growth of your cities and how you describe in detail what is happening.

[nedalezz]

REPLIES

kwakelaar: I actually have never used LotEditor, lol. I dont even know how to! I enjoy slowly developing the city, as I tend to like a relaxed pace to everything I do. Thanks for commenting!

bat: Thanks! Im glad you liked that last pic; for some reason, as I was playing around with Photoshop, it just struck me really well.

thundercrack83: I gave that second one the ol' rotate with Photoshop, and then used a bit of the sharpen tool to get that look. I think it might be one my favorites shots of all time, actually, that I have personally taken. Thanks for the continuous comments, always appreciated!

patfirefghtr: Thank you, my friend! Hope you enjoy the upcoming updates as well.

Jmouse: The oil money is being poured into infrastructure, and Fursan really is seeing the benefits. I try to keep it as detailed as possible, hoping that I would have the very same affect that it seems to have on you, so thats perfect! As always, thank you for the very kind words! And I'll make sure to always try to include some night shots in every update!

BoKriF: Sooner or later, someone has to construct a residential block...it would only make sense! Thanks for commenting.

Yoman: Lol, as I stated above, its bound to happen. I dont know when exactly, and Fursan is still technically a very small town (20,000), but its growth has continued to pick up. Who knows, it could hit 100,000 sooner than we thought at this rate. And the QEC totally agrees about the bulk port, it is starting to be desperately needed!

rooker1: Im glad you liked the star effect! I originally didnt know how it would turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised by the result! I like adding those little piece of information along with the pictures of some of the landmarks almost as much as I like taking the pictures themselves! Thanks for the compliment.

tkirch: Merci! The airport took a bit of effort to get everything the way I wanted, but I am happy with the results, and I am glad you liked it too.

spa: Wow, its an honour to have you comment on my MD, as I consider you a SC legend! I adore your BATS, especially some of your latest, northeast atlantic region ones. Thanks for dropping by.

[amapper]

I agree with your reply that detail is more important than shear size. You've done a fantastic job with this MD.  One of the best looking around. 

[Pat]

Nedalezz i do so look forward to the next update, Im still wondering where you gotten that construction set in the pic i brought over if you know where i can get that, it would be great thank you - pat

[nedalezz]

UPDATE EIGHTEEN
KHAYMEH AT THE END OF THE 5th YEAR

A lot of the focus of the QEC has been on Fursan, mainly because of all the important developments taking place there. There has been the Berber Dawa International Airport, the Presidential Lane and all of its buildings, the Fursan Oil Port, amongst others. However, the town of Khaymeh has also been seeing a lot of developments, thanks to the cash inflow from being the oil refinery town of Qumma.

The most significant addition to Khaymeh is the Al-Iman Mosque, built on the new avenue which is being constructed to accommodate future growth. The mosque was Khaymeh's answer to Fursan's Holy Mosque, or the Red Mosque, and because the town is more conservative and rooted in Islam than its coastal compatriot, it has become the center of Islamic teaching as well as the base of some of the most important Imams in the country. It is smaller than the Red Mosque, but the inside finishing cost a lot more money, totaling $11 million upon completion. It has become Khaymeh's trademark building.

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Right next to the mosque sits the newly constructed Berber Avenue, named after the leader of Qumma. The QEC, anticipating further growth in the center of Khaymeh, and not wanting to make the same mistake as they did in Fursan where they had to develop a new avenue to accommodate the businesses on the outskirts of the town, has drawn up the avenue directly through the city.  They have also wisely left ample space on both sides of the avenue for commercial development, moving the residential developments further away from the avenue.

Land has been purchased in droves and is a very hot commodity near the avenue, with construction booming all along it. The cost of 1 square meter along it has risen to $200, the most expensive in all of Qumma, and it is expected to continue to rise. Because of the town's proximity to the oil refinery, as well as being on the crossroads between the coast and the inlands, business has picked up substantially more than Fursan. While the coastal city has a reliance on services (airport, seaport, banks), Khaymeh has become Qumma's trading hub, which has been the main reason for its population growth, which is now at approximately 15,000.

One of the same reasons Khaymeh is developing so fast is also the QEC's biggest headache; its close proximity to the Khaymeh Oil Refinery. With the city developing so quick, the QEC is having a hard time keeping Khaymeh's business district central, as it has forbidden further construction on the road leading to the refinery. Instead, construction is now developing mostly eastward and southward, making the business district further and further on the corner of the town.  It hopes that with the development of the avenue, it can begin further construction the south, and once it reaches an acceptable distance from the refinery, it can begin construction westward to counter the eastward development.

[bat]

Great newest update there, nedalezz! Fantastic work!

[Yoman]

Another fine update I'm glad to see both major cities (well not really cities) of the country developing strong, good thing they built that avenue now as compared to later also.

About the bulk port I have two props that may help (one isn't done quite yet but should be done by the end of the week).

The completed one is this old crane.

The other is a pile of grain

As always I look forward to future development!

[Pat]

Nedalezz anther perfect update here my friend wow, great history line and pics to flow with it!!! see you next update - pat

[Jmouse]

Fantastic update as usual, nedalezz. I think the QEC made the right decision in building the avenue before it's needed. Also, it's a good idea to leave plenty of room around it in case it ever needs to be converted to a highway.
And the mosque was worth every Simoleon! It's beautiful.

Until next time...
Joan