Right, this is the "abstain (on cities and SP) and then bloom" ICS approach, which while perhaps "pure ICS" as in the consistent 2 hex spaced grid, etc., is I would argue not "true" ICS in the original sense of the term: INCREMENTAL.
There are tradeoffs with the "abstain and then bloom" approach: you miss out on the lost raw (and improved) hex production otherwise acquired incrementally over the waiting period; you lack over the same period the military advantage of a growing matrix of of interlocking indirect fire platforms garrisoned by ranged units and backlined by melee traveling on a tight road mesh, with mounted for highly focused, targeted offensives and reconnaissance outside the grid; you miss out on an earlier start on the basic culture buildings necessary for SPs post-Order (if that is what you want) in the abstained cities; you have to either maintain clear or raze-clear territory for the bloom, requiring major aggressive military campaigns guaranteed to piss off the AI for loss of diplomatic flexibility; and then having to get up to speed a sudden rash of new cities all at once (although Order alleviates this).
The diplomatic benefits are worth noting: I am finding in my present America ICS trial game that I can delay the AI from turning mean by this truly incremental CS approach.
There are tradeoffs with the "abstain and then bloom" approach: you miss out on the lost raw (and improved) hex production otherwise acquired incrementally over the waiting period; you lack over the same period the military advantage of a growing matrix of of interlocking indirect fire platforms garrisoned by ranged units and backlined by melee traveling on a tight road mesh, with mounted for highly focused, targeted offensives and reconnaissance outside the grid; you miss out on an earlier start on the basic culture buildings necessary for SPs post-Order (if that is what you want) in the abstained cities; you have to either maintain clear or raze-clear territory for the bloom, requiring major aggressive military campaigns guaranteed to piss off the AI for loss of diplomatic flexibility; and then having to get up to speed a sudden rash of new cities all at once (although Order alleviates this).
The diplomatic benefits are worth noting: I am finding in my present America ICS trial game that I can delay the AI from turning mean by this truly incremental CS approach.
An ICS combined to specialist economy would be quite powerful if you would build Forgotten Palace and the Statue of Liberty, unlock Liberty tree and Socialism, Planned Economy and communism from the Order tree, Civil Society from the Freedom tree, and Secularism from the Rationalism tree.
Now you have a civilization that has no unhappiness from the number of cities while every specialist consumes only 1 food, produces half of unhappiness and has bonuses of +2 science and +1 hammer. You can have a specialist city of size of 8 (3-4 scientists, 3 merchants, 1-2 engineer, feed by CSs) with an unhappiness cost of a size 4 city working with tiles, and a specialist in that point is stronger than just about any tile in this game.
It's of course tricky to unlock all those social policies, but it's definitely possible. The trick is to stay small until policies are there and then explode.