Strategies To Combat Pollution In Cities: Skylines

In the city-building game Cities: Skylines, pollution is a pressing issue that players must address to ensure the health and happiness of their citizens. The game features various types of pollution, including air, ground, noise, and water pollution, each with its unique challenges and impacts on the city. While it is impossible to completely eradicate pollution, players can employ several strategies to minimize its effects and create a sustainable urban environment. This article will explore the different types of pollution, their sources, and provide an overview of the methods players can use to reduce pollution and its negative consequences in their virtual cities.

Place sewage and water treatment plants downstream

To keep your city as clean as possible, it's important to consider the placement of your sewage and water treatment plants. Sewage should always be placed downstream, preferably near your border. Water pumping stations should be placed upstream, away from any pollutants entering your water system.

Water treatment plants are sewage dumping systems that can be used instead of sewer pumps to reduce the environmental impact of your city. They purify up to 85% of the pollution in sewage. Drain pipes, on the other hand, simply dump raw sewage into the water, causing significant water pollution.

If you're using drain pipes, it's a good idea to place them in an area with water flow so that the pollution will be carried away. If there is no water flow, the pollution will stagnate and take a long time to disappear—sometimes even decades of game time.

If you have access to the Sunset Harbour DLC, you can use inland water treatment plants, which don't require a body of water to empty into. However, these plants cause some ground pollution, so they should not be placed near water towers.

The Green Cities DLC includes eco-friendly water services that produce less pollution. The eco drainage pipe, for example, has 85% less pollution output than the standard pipe, and the Floating Garbage Collector cleans polluted water.

If you're looking to minimise the effects of ground pollution, it's recommended to opt for cleaner and renewable energy services, such as nuclear power plants, wind turbines, and solar power plants. While these options are often costly, they will benefit both your land and your citizens in the long run.

Focus on green energy

In Cities: Skylines, pollution can be a significant issue, negatively impacting your citizens' health and happiness and reducing yields from specialised industries. Focusing on green energy is a crucial strategy to combat this issue and create a more sustainable and prosperous city. Here are some detailed tips to help you minimise pollution and maximise the benefits of green energy:

Green Energy Sources:

• Wind Turbines: Wind turbines are an excellent first step towards achieving green energy in your city. They are considered a "clean energy" source and are essential for unlocking the Green Energy achievement. They produce minimal air pollution and can efficiently generate electricity if placed in areas with good wind speeds.
• Geothermal Power Plants: Geothermal power plants are another clean energy source that can contribute to your city's electricity production without causing pollution.
• Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plants: These plants utilise the temperature difference between the ocean surface and deeper water to generate electricity and are considered a form of clean energy.
• Solar Power Plants: Solar power plants harness the power of the sun to generate electricity without producing pollution. They are an excellent option for reducing your city's carbon footprint and improving air quality.
• Nuclear Power Plants: While nuclear power plants are a renewable energy source, they require careful management to ensure safe operation and waste disposal. They can be costly but provide a significant amount of electricity.

Strategies for Minimising Pollution:

• Recycling Centres: Opt for recycling centres instead of landfills and incinerators, as they produce significantly less ground pollution. While they are more expensive, they are a more sustainable option for waste management.
• Filter Industrial Waste Policy: Implement the Filter Industrial Waste policy to reduce ground pollution from industrial buildings. This policy comes at a cost, but it can effectively minimise the pollution generated by these buildings.
• Sewage and Water Management: Always place sewage downstream and water pumping stations upstream, away from any pollutants. Investing in sewage upgrades is crucial, especially when expanding your city and unlocking new tiles.
• Natural Resource Protection: Identify natural resource deposits on your map and avoid placing polluting structures like landfills or coal power plants near them. Protecting these resources ensures you can utilise them sustainably without contamination.
• Education: As your citizens become more educated, they will practise better waste management, leading to reduced garbage generation and a cleaner city.
• Electric Buses and District Policies: Transitioning to electric buses and implementing policies like combustion engine bans, heavy traffic bans, and speed bumps can significantly reduce air and noise pollution in your city.

Remember, while achieving 100% clean energy may take time, focusing on green energy sources and implementing these strategies will help minimise pollution and create a healthier and more sustainable environment for your citizens.

Keep noise pollution in mind

While it is impossible to completely eliminate noise pollution in Cities: Skylines, there are several strategies you can employ to manage and mitigate it. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Sound Barriers and Highways

Strategically placing sound barriers along highways can significantly reduce noise pollution from traffic. These barriers are specifically designed to block sound and are an effective way to lessen the impact of noise on nearby areas.

Zoning and District Types

Proper zoning of your city districts plays a crucial role in controlling noise pollution. Here's a breakdown of how different district types contribute to noise pollution:

• Residential zones: These zones do not generate noise pollution themselves. The noise in these areas comes from public transportation or traffic passing through.
• Commercial zones:
• Generic: These zones produce a fair amount of noise pollution.
• Tourism and Leisure: Both of these specializations result in high amounts of noise pollution.
• Organic and Local Produce: This type of commercial zone generates no noise pollution at all, but it requires the Green Cities DLC.
• Industrial zones: In general, industrial areas produce noise pollution and should be situated away from residential zones to minimize their impact.
• Office zones: Office areas do not generate noise pollution and can act as effective buffers between noisy industrial or commercial zones and residential areas. They also serve as a substitute for industrial demand without the associated pollution.

Tree Placement and Greenery

Trees and parks play a vital role in reducing noise pollution and enhancing the aesthetics of your city. Here's how:

• Tree-lined roads: These roads not only improve the appearance of your city but also help reduce noise pollution. They increase land value and should be placed in high-traffic or noisy areas.
• Highways and sound barriers: Combining sound barriers with trees alongside highways can further enhance noise reduction.
• Strategic tree placement: Placing trees alongside roads and highways can help cut down on noise. Consider using a tree 'paintbrush' mod to efficiently cover large areas with trees.
• Parks and campuses: These areas, often available through DLC, do not generate noise pollution (except for sporting areas in campuses). Placing parks, especially around busy intersections in residential zones, is preferable to having houses there.

Additional Tips

• The Green Cities DLC introduces IT clusters, which have reduced worker numbers, increased tax revenue, and higher electricity consumption. They also add to your city's skyline with impressive skyscrapers.
• The informational panel on the upper left side of the screen provides noise pollution data. Clicking on the headphones icon will display noise pollution levels across your city.
• Certain buildings, when placed, will have an orange circle around them, indicating that the area within will experience high levels of noise pollution.

Switch to non-polluting industries

Once you reach the Worthy Village milestone, you can create districts and assign them to specialised industries. Two of these industries, farming and forestry, don't cause pollution. By switching all industrial areas to one of these two specialities, you can keep up with the demand for industry zoning without sacrificing the environment.

However, it's important to note that several farming and forestry buildings in the Industries DLC do produce pollution. Additionally, even though farming and forestry zones don't cause pollution, they do produce noise pollution, which can annoy citizens. Therefore, it's advisable to place these zones away from residential areas.

Another option is to allow regular industrial buildings to upgrade. Upgraded industry buildings tend to produce less pollution than level one versions.

Use renewable energy sources

Renewable energy sources are a great way to reduce pollution in Cities: Skylines. While they can be costly to implement, they are worth considering for the long-term benefits they bring to your city.

Wind Power

Wind turbines are a popular choice for renewable energy in the game. They produce significant noise pollution, but this can be mitigated by placing them away from residential and commercial areas, preferably over water. Wind speed will impact the power output, so be sure to check the wind interface when placing your turbines.

Solar Power

Solar power plants are an efficient source of energy, with the lowest upkeep cost per MW in the game. However, their output varies with the intensity of sunlight, and at night, the output drops to 70% of the daytime value.

Geothermal Power

Geothermal power plants are cost-efficient and produce a steady output of power. They are also easy to place and stack, and have decent resilience against the loss of water or services.

Nuclear Power

Nuclear power plants provide a consistent amount of power and are less expensive than solar power plants. They require less space per MW, though this is generally not a significant factor. Fire or loss of water supply will result in a shutdown, so it is recommended to place a fire station nearby and ensure a source of water is adjacent to the plant.

Hydroelectric Power

Hydroelectric dams can generate huge amounts of power, especially when placed in rivers with steep riverbanks. However, they are very expensive and can be challenging to place, potentially causing flooding upstream and blocking pathways for cargo and passenger ships.

Recycling Centres

Recycling centres can also provide renewable energy, but the amount of power generated is not significant.

By utilising these renewable energy sources, you can significantly reduce pollution in your city and improve the health and happiness of your citizens.

Frequently asked questions