# Suggestions for software to create city maps
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 26, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744 "2023-09-26T18:07:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/1 "2023-09-26T18:07:12Z")
For roleplaying purposes, I’d like to create a city map of a made-up city, and am looking for recommendations for software to do this - ideally open source, but I’m also willing to pay if it’s reasonably affordable for a private user. I’ve heard of, and tried, Inkarnate, but the maps it produces have a very fantasy-looking feel to them, whereas I’d prefer something in the style of a standard present-day city map. Probably software that is used to generate actual city maps would be best. Does anybody have recommendations for this?
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### Author:  [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/2 "2023-09-26T18:14:00Z")
This one looks pretty good for a modern city:
[City Map Generator](https://maps.probabletrain.com/#/)
This one a bit more medieval:
[Watabou](https://fantasycities.watabou.ru/?size=15&seed=1632408868&hub=1&random=0&elevation=1&green=0&farms=1&citadel=1&urban_castle=0&plaza=1&temple=1&walls=1&shantytown=1&river=0&coast=1&sea=0.46791334192637046)
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/3 "2023-09-26T18:14:54Z")
An improving one for modern City generation:
> **[City Map Generator](https://maps.probabletrain.com/#/)**
>
> Description
Most of the City Generators I know are Fantasy RPG oriented.
> **[Town Generator - Gibmell - Kassoon.com](https://www.kassoon.com/dnd/town-generator/)**
>
> Randomly generates fantasy medieval cities and towns with demographics, detailed shops, and NPC patrons.
> **[Medieval Fantasy City Generator by watabou](https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator)**
>
> Not a game
> **[Random City Map Generator](https://inkwellideas.com/free-tools/random-city-map-generator/)**
>
> East: Random No East Section East Low Density East Med Density East High Density West: Random No West Section West Low Density West Med Density West High Density South: Random No South Section Sout…
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/4 "2023-09-26T20:05:37Z")
@enipla does this for real for real cities. He might happen to know of some relevant fake city generation software, or know somebody who does.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/5 "2023-09-26T20:11:03Z")
Thanks for the nod, but I don’t know of any fake city generating software. It would be interesting for testing perhaps, but you get into a whole mess of other stuff like attribute mapping, proper projection and stuff like that. Not worth it. If we need to test, we make a copy of the real deal.
I can poke around though. Sounds kinda interesting.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/6 "2023-09-26T20:18:29Z")
Do you need data? Or just an image. The one What\_Exit linked too looks pretty cool. But I think image only. But I have not dug into it.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/7 "2023-09-26T21:03:16Z")
If you do not need something realistic, there are ready-to-run programs on Github, e.g.
[https://josauder.github.io/procedural\_city\_generation/](https://josauder.github.io/procedural_city_generation/)
Just specify the growth rule and population density and it generates a “road map”.
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### Author:  [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/8 "2023-09-26T21:39:47Z")
Just an image. But I’d like to be able to customize at least the basic outline of the city (coastlines etc.) rather than using something entirely random generated. Perfect accuracy in terms of map projection is not necessary, superficial plausibility would suffice.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/9 "2023-09-26T21:54:38Z")
> [@Schnitte](#):
>
> Just an image. But I’d like to be able to customize at least the basic outline of the city (coastlines etc.) rather than using something entirely random generated.
[Inkarte](https://inkarnate.com/) looks like it can do that but it’s Medieval/Fantasy-themed.
[ ](https://inkarnate.com/assets/city-1-c0f42f8a.jpg)
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-software-to-create-city-maps/990744/10 "2023-09-26T22:08:20Z")
Well, what about using an existing city, bring it up on their GIS (usually found in the County GIS) turn on the layers you want and do a cut and paste?