I have some logistics with a story that I am working on. I don't want to give too much away but the bulk of my story takes place in a fictional city within the United States. I was wondering if there were any books that anyone knew of that dealt with similar material. Though I live in a rather large city and can describe most of my fictional set piece based on personal information, I was also wondering if anyone knew of any good non-fiction books concerning city planning or computer based city building programs that might be useful. Thanks
why do you think you need books on city-building, for pete's sake?... just use what you know/see/can research and make up whatever's needed for your story... that's what writers do, when setting a story in a fictional city...
I've tried the fictional city thing, and for me anyway, it came out too strange for my story. It was my one attempt at Sci-Fi and I was trying to make it as realistic as possible, so I set it in the future and depicted a world where overpopulation caused cities to be built in deserts. If I remember correctly I called it "Mojave City" Just something to think about.
I agree with Mia, just do plenty of research on real cities that are closely related to the fictional city you want to have in your story.
Every city has a character all its own. There are regional characteristics, but even adjacent cities like Boston and Cambridge Massachusetts have their own distinctive qualities. Giving your fictional city a regional flavor and yet a special character is as challenging as developing a human character. Have fun with it!
