• Managing traffic becomes a big deal. Not only will it cause unhappiness, but services like garbage trucks and fire engines need to be able to get around to work optimally. The coverage map of services needs to be viewed in concert with the traffic map to get a true picture of how well you are covered.
  • Bigger roads help, but more ways into and out of an area help more. When you buy your first expansion tile, it's not a bad idea to look for a second connection to the highway.
  • Roundabouts usually beat intersections
  • The special buildings are very powerful, but usually require you to directly work towards unlocking some of them, to the point where you may need to create a city for the purpose of doing it. They are globally unlocked, so carry over to your next town.
  • You can survive and thrive despite much of your city being a dystopian hellhole. Your people will forgive a near total lack of healthcare, so long as they have schools, parks and garbage trucks f.inst. That's how I unlocked the "fill three graveyards" building.
  • Commercial areas produce a fair bit of noise, especially high-density. Offices produce no noise, so you can use offices as buffer zones between residential and commercial.