I just started the third attempt to draw one of the most important cities of my rpg background world.
First one: about 2005; second: 2010; sketch: yesterday
merridia2.jpg tusche75.jpg merridia_skizze.jpg
While considering your hints on my last city map, Demera, I realized some problems of the older maps of Merridia.
The river:
It was far too thin as it's one of the longest rivers of the continent. I now compared it to the Elbe river in germany (about 2km wide at the river mouth). As I did not want to change the design of the city too much (the writers are used to it by now), I had to think of a way to keep the small "old" river while showing the "new" broad one. So here's my idea: The small river course once was much broader (also about 2km) and covered the space where the southern part of the city later was built. Two hamlets were built north of the river on slightly higher ground.
Eventually the river changed it's course to the north; the old course silted up and could no longer be used for fishing/merchant ships. The new river course is very shallow and has constantly changing river banks, so it was not suitable for shipping, too. The inhabitants of the villages began to build a canal where the old river course once was, drained the land where the southern part of Merridia now is and ended up with a navigable, strait canal which also is one of the reasons why Merridia is now a capital.
What I'm wondering about: Would builders be able to build a bridge across a river of 2km? I thought they'd maybe use some of the sand banks, but nevertheless it's quite a distance...
Size:
The city is supposed to be inhabited by about 20.000 people, but I'm really not able to estimate if what I have drawn is big enough. I started to make the city flow over it's borders.
Houses & streets:
Houses too random, some of the streets too broad. I'll change that.
Anything else? I appreciate any comments