Canal City Mercantile District

[joshij]

Hi all, since I found this community I've been working towards a WIP I'm satisfied with enough to post...

But I'm stuck.

I'm designing a city founded on the remains of an extinct subterranean city unearthed by wind erosion and flooded by an underground river, causing a (now I realize suspiciously convenient) rectangular grid of canals. Starting from a close-up level, I produced the following sketch of a section of the mercantile district:



I imagine transportation throughout this district by foot is done chiefly over rooftops; in fact, huge swathes of roofs are covered by planks so that large-scale trade can be conducted between locals and foot-traffic. Also present here are taverns, hostels and storehouses connected by skyways when privacy/security from pedestrians is required.

Below, ferries taxi people larger distances more quickly; therefore, most buildings have a bottom door and a top door (rather than a front and back door)

I've been working on porting my sketch into a functional, attractive map in Gimp: here's what I have so far:



I'd love to hear everyone's comments on the progress, as well as any/all criticism I can use to improve the work, especially regarding:

The water/ground level
The wood texture (so difficult!)
How to make the stories of the building appear more connected
General aesthetic appeal

Enjoy, and, on a different note, greetings to everyone here!