How do you decide between Aquaduct and Neighborhood?

[planetfall]

I'm having difficulty figuring out which is a better first housing build. When you have a city that needs more housing and you have neither aquaduct nor neighborhood and both build options are available,
what are the questions you ask in the next to build process?

I've been defaulting to neighborhood, but wondering if missing something by not building more aquaducts.

 

[InsidiousMage]

I've been defaulting to neighborhood, but wondering if missing something by not building more aquaducts.

Do you plan on putting an industrial zone in the city? If yes, go with the aqueduct first since that provides +2 adjacency to the industrial zone. Otherwise, go with whatever is cheaper to build because you have the option to build both then its probably going to be a while before you really need the extra housing.

 

[Nigel_Tufnel2]

You can have Partisans spawn in Neighborhoods late game (I think via Spy Missions), so that is one downside.

 

[tedhebert]

I barely ever build aqueducts…

Why ? because I take water availability heavily into account when settling… If you already have water, aqueduct will only add 2 housing, and the tile it has to be built on is always somewhere I’d rather have something else on…

So acqueducts usually only when I had to settle with no water (it DOES happen)… Neighborhoods at +4 to +6 housing can usually be built on a tile I care less about and gets better return on my money and time…

Got to admit I always forget about the +2 adj to IZ that @InsidiousMage mentions… my bad…

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Got to admit I always forget about the +2 adj to IZ that @InsidiousMage mentions… my bad…

That's an easy one to forget because it only started in GS, along with Canals and Dams as Engineering Districts.
But otherwise, I do exactly the same as you do unless I'm playing as Rome, Khmer, or Inca who either have a unique aqueduct or have abilities that enhance aqueducts.

 

[Planktonic]

Surprised to see so many others disregard aqueducts. I frequently need more housing for cities long before neighborhoods become available, so tend to build aqueducts liberally. I end up using very few neighborhoods in fact.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

You can have Partisans spawn in Neighborhoods late game (I think via Spy Missions), so that is one downside.

Can? From my experience they target them every single time I make one (followed by commercial)

 

[InsidiousMage]

Surprised to see so many others disregard aqueducts. I frequently need more housing for cities long before neighborhoods become available, so tend to build aqueducts liberally. I end up using very few neighborhoods in fact.

The OP stated that they immediately have access both so they are probably settling a city latter in the game when the value of aqueducts does drop since you have other options.

 

[reddishrecue]

Its hard to say but time could be a good way to tell because when you're in more primitive eras you could go ahead and build the aqueduct. While you're in the later eras, you could build the neighborhood since either way you can build a food shop for more population or a store for more gold.. Either way they both increase population limits in a city.

 

[Tabieth]

I never build Neighbourhoods because of the spy/partisan issue. Aqueducts on the other hand are really handy much earlier, especially when combined with IZ, so I build them much more often.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I never build Neighbourhoods because of the spy/partisan issue. Aqueducts on the other hand are really handy much earlier, especially when combined with IZ, so I build them much more often.

If you have access to the Diplomatic Quarter, the spy partisan issue becomes more manageable.
Which reminds me, if you have access to the Preserve, it's available even earlier than the aqueduct and can give up to 3 extra housing in the Ancient Era.

 

[tedhebert]

I never build Neighbourhoods because of the spy/partisan issue.

I SO don’t understand why everyone seems to live that situation. I ALWAYS build neighborhood in EVERY city and barely EVER get partisans spawning… Maybe it’s because I’m mostly always ahead techwise by the time they come ? I dunno… But seriously, for me, it’s almost always not a single time, and some rare games I’ll get it two or three times… and then, they’re killed in less than 5 turns anyways, so it’s not really THAT annoying

 

[reddishrecue]

I SO don’t understand why everyone seems to live that situation. I ALWAYS build neighborhood in EVERY city and barely EVER get partisans spawning… Maybe it’s because I’m mostly always ahead techwise by the time they come ? I dunno… But seriously, for me, it’s almost always not a single time, and some rare games I’ll get it two or three times… and then, they’re killed in less than 5 turns anyways, so it’s not really THAT annoying

I never build Neighbourhoods because of the spy/partisan issue. Aqueducts on the other hand are really handy much earlier, especially when combined with IZ, so I build them much more often.

The partisan issue does come to mind. At first I did think about all the plunder they may cause but I also seen that it hardly happens and with a few spies it can be stopped. In exchange for more population and all the necessary amenities met, I think it can be a good investment.
Aqueducts however, take a spot adjacent to the city which is okay and they also give quicker growth and extra housing which is also good to have earlier to have bigger cities. I like aqueducts but late game I liked the neighborhoods since there are less turns given for city growth.
However, considering the partisan issue, if I don't have the military to take the partisans, I wouldn't count on it because I'm pretty sure I've had partisans that were unstoppable from plundering.

 

[Goodenuf]

IMO, if you're in a circumstance where you can choose between the two, I'd go Neighborhood every time for reasons many here have stated. It's simply a bigger housing boost than an Aqueduct. The partisans thing can be dealt with (I play at Emperor level typically) and it really doesn't happen that often (perhaps moreso on Immortal / Deity?).

Aqueduct is useful in cases where you're a long ways tech-wise from building neighborhoods and/or your city needs fresh water and/or you want to add the Industrial Zone adjacency. Or, if you're playing a Civ that allows more inherent benefit than just housing and fresh water.

 

[Snowygerry]

Building the aquaduct gives a boost on the way to discovering Niter iirc, so I build at least one...usually in Iron City, which can be placed away from a source of fresh water anyway.

 

[Ordnael]

Been playing around more with Preserves, not just because of housing but also and mainly for the yield porn!

 

[Aurelesk]

To be fair, I don't really build Neighborhood, except if I plan to get the Inspirations or the Biosphère. There are not bad (well kind of...), but I just don't want more Housing.

Even excluding the downside, Housing is not often a problem:
- Fresh water city starts with 5 Housing.
- Granary gives 2 Housing. I could go Sewers as well if needed.
- I tend to have the Classical Republic legacy (mostly for the Amenity) which also give 1 Housing
- I tend to have the Monarchy legacy (most for the Diplomatic Favor) which also give, up to 3 Housing for my oldest cities.
- There is a huge 4 Housing boost with Democracy, as New Deal give it for free on top of the 2 Amenities.
- It is rare that a city doesn't enjoy +2 Housing from tile improvement such as Farms, Pastures, Camps, or Plantations. If I chopped more often, I probably face more Housing problem.
- Some buildings, like University, grants Housing. Coastal cities enjoys additional Housing with the Lighthouse.
- If a river has Floodplain, I will build the Dam which give 1 Amenity, 2 Production to neighboring Industrial Zone, a source of green Power (and 3 Housing) on top of the flood immunity. Therefore, I am not far from doing an Industrial Hub with Aqueducts as well, for 2 additional Housing.

In total, my cities has easy access to 13-16 Housing / Population, which is enough for 5 or 6 specialty districts. I do not often want much more Population, as the cities, except the coastal one, are going to work Specialists slots due to lack of tiles to work.

Different ways of playing may induce different use of the Neighborhood. So I can only talk about myself.

At least for my playstyle, the game gave me a lot of way to circumvent the Housing limit. Sure, theoretically, a good Neighborhood beat any Aqueduct Housing-wise, but do people really wants Housing (except no fresh water settling), or are building the Aqueduct mainly for the Housing (except no fresh water)?

 

[UWHabs]

The big advantage if you are choosing between the two to me is that the neighbourhood can get you amenities through the shopping mall.

But for me, barring unusual circumstances (ie. Rome, Khmer, Inca), my rules are pretty simple:
-If it's relatively early, and my city location lacks fresh water, I try to get an aqueduct up early
-If I really want to optimize an IZ, I will try to get an aqueduct
-Anything else, I skip the aqueduct and if I need housing, get a neighborhood.

I know I don't need them, but they're fun to build anyways, so usually I try to get one per city. Even if just for those couple amenities, that can be a nice late game boost.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

I think my main issue with neighborhood is that at that point in the game I'm running out of tiles I want to pave over.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

The big advantage if you are choosing between the two to me is that the neighbourhood can get you amenities through the shopping mall.

The Aqueduct can also give you an amenity but it's more situational, it needs to be adjacent to a geothermal fissure.

I think my main issue with neighborhood is that at that point in the game I'm running out of tiles I want to pave over.

I see a lot of people most of the time improving tiles with nothing on them with farms, or hill tiles with mines. I mainly save building farms and mines for resources, so I probably have more options for potential neighborhoods than most people.