There are several types of residential areas available in Cities: Skylines 2. When your city is just starting out, it will be limited to small, low-density, single-family homes. However, as you reach new milestones, you will be able to zone for higher-density housing, all the way up to very high-density high-rises.
When high-density housing becomes available, your citizens will not immediately want to move into these high-rise buildings. Therefore, there will be no demand for this type of zone. In this guide, you will learn how to increase this demand to build more high-density housing zones in your city.
What density is considered high density housing?
First of all, it is important to understand what high density means. For comparison, look at the example above. On the left, we have a low-density neighborhood with only a few people living in each. These houses occupy 4×5 tiles. On the right, we have a neighborhood with buildings that are 5×5 tiles.
A high-density building houses as many as hundreds of people and dozens of pets. This is equivalent to dozens of low-density homes in a comparable area.
With this in mind, it is important to note that zoning demand indicators do not scale with building size. For example, if a low-density housing demand bar is full, you can zone more space for housing. However, if a high-density housing demand bar is full, you will not need to build as many buildings.
City Information Demand Menu
When you click on the demand bar, a new panel opens up showing the pros and cons of each zone type. Above, you can see that mostly high-density housing is attractive, but there are many non-residential buildings.
Non-residential buildings mean you’ve rezoned. In the example above, it’s best to remove the high-density housing zoning and only add it when demand increases. Keep in mind that each building (regardless of type) is not tied to a specific business or family. Residents and businesses can move within the city, leaving empty homes, stores, and office spaces.
Note: Some occupancy problems have a simple solution – if the taxes are too high, just lower the rate.
Education and housing
Housing demand in Cities: Skylines 2 is deceptively complex. Low-density housing is ideal for families with children who attend a nearby school. On the other hand, adults without children who are attending college or university prefer medium- and high-density housing.
Don’t forget to unlock additional educational options from the Education and Research tree. Build a college and university as soon as possible to keep people educated.
This means that citizens who are currently studying may increase the demand for high-density housing. It is important to consider the education in your city, as well as the demand for educated workers.
If you notice that there is a need for educated workers in commercial areas, you can build a college, which will attract high-density residents who will, in turn, fill the vacancies over time. In general, a city with a highly educated population can bring many benefits, especially if you want more high-density buildings.
Check the current happiness level of high density residents
If you already have high-density housing in your city, it’s a good idea to check the current happiness level of your residents. To do this, click on any high-density building and hover over the happiness level.
As you can see in the screenshot, the citizens here are not too happy with the small houses or the lack of entertainment, so you will need to fix that. To provide more entertainment, you can add new parks and tourist attractions. A simple park can significantly increase the happiness of citizens. If there are a lot of dogs in the building, consider adding a dog park.
Citizen happiness levels are also complex, but in general, happy citizens are better workers, which leads to more efficient companies (offices, commercial and industrial areas).
Complaints about small housing are a little harder to fix, as they relate to low-density housing. This disadvantage usually occurs when there is a high demand for low-density housing. Essentially, families want to move to the city, but there are only apartments. Instead of finding a suitable home, they are now unhappy living in an apartment.
To fix this, you will need to zone for low density housing so that your residents can move into suitable housing.
What is low rent housing?
Low-Rent Housing is housing that has a lower rent than other housing options in your city. However, there is no in-game indicator for demand for Low-Rent Housing, as this type is considered High-Density Housing. If you have demand for High-Density Housing but have not yet unlocked the standard High-Density Housing option, you can place multiple Low-Rent Zones.
In general, citizens prefer not to live here, which means you don’t need to zone too much at once. Instead of allocating large areas to low-rent housing, consider locating one or two buildings near medium-density zones. The apartments will visually blend into the surroundings and offer citizens cheaper housing options.
You can build low-rent apartments, only to have them become abandoned. If that happens, don’t worry – just unzone the low-rent housing and put something else in the place.
Create an attractive, high-density neighborhood
It’s important to create an attractive high-density neighborhood. If you have a grid of two-lane streets lined with high-rise apartments very close together, that’s not always going to be attractive.
Try adding commercial zones to your neighborhood, as well as parks to increase its appeal. There is no tool for creating parks yet, but that doesn’t stop you from adding your own.
While this does not add to the appeal, it can help ease traffic, which in turn reduces noise pollution. Instead of filling the block with housing, place a few trees and a nice sidewalk.
Patience and high-density housing
Finally, be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and cities don’t get thriving high-density areas overnight. Once you unlock high-density areas, you may have to wait until you have citizens eligible to attend college or university. Over time, your city will begin to expand as people move in.
In general, just try not to zone too much at once. Progressing in small steps is a great way to create a natural, beautiful and efficient city.