Expansion with ROMA Subura (March 07)
From ROMA Scribae
[[ This is the first part of a submission for Archaeolog archaeology blog (archaeology.org), but was too long so was much much cut down for the first part of an interview Torin did there. The uncut version here gives a good creator’s history of ROMA. ]]
Torin Golding:
"In March of 2007, I purchased a second sim and placed it to the east of ROMA. I had never really thought that I would ever expand beyond one sim, so I was happy I could find a practical place to connect the two together. The purpose of this second sim, named ROMA Subura, was to provide a residential quarter in the estate. Many people had approached me about making a place where they could build their own Roman themed house. I conducted several surveys and studied to see if this was feasible. Linden Labs had recently raised the cost of buying and maintaining an island drastically, and I needed to make sure that I could find a way to make it pay for itself. With the price increase I realized I would need to maintain full occupancy to cover the bills. This was daunting, since I was not a land baron and this would be my only residential sim. It would also mean a great deal of extra management and time commitment. I took another chance and got a second sim, setting up a ‘resident committee’ called the Comitia to guide the management of the Subura. However, I still was wary of it devolving into a CDS-style anarchy, so I organized the Comitia in a way that allowed an elected Tribune to deal with most of the day to day maintenance. I built the basic infrastructure of the Subura when the island was delivered (roads- each with a Latin name, public parks, gateway designed on the South Shields reconstructed gateway along Hadrian’s Wall, and the Comitium for the Comitia). The Subura opened around the Ides of March 2007 and all 49 plots immediately filled up. Today we maintain full occupancy and a wait list for those who want to join this residential community. Several of the official and Citizen-run groups in ROMA made headquarters for themselves in the Subura. To help Citizens rotate into the Subura community I also built an apartment complex (the ‘Insula of the Menander’) where for about $1 a week a renter occupy one room. Many people pursue this housing option while they wait for a full plot to open up."
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