Policies

Policies can be selected that affect the city and its districts from a predetermined list. Policies have both positive and negative effects. For example, a smoking ban will make citizens healthier, but it can make them unhappy. Policies can be set for the entire city, or for different districts in the city to make them look, play, and feel different.

Set policies for a district by clicking it when the policies panel is open, or by clicking the “Policies” button in its info panel.

Policies panel

Policies in the "Services", "Taxation" or "City Planning" categories can be found in the policies panel on their respective tab.

Services

Policy	Unlocked	DLC	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Water Usage	Worthy Village	-	Moderately reduced water consumption (Reduced by 15%).	₡5/week/building
Algae-based Water Filtering	Busy Town		Increases filtering in water intakes and purification level in drain pipes by 45%. Requires an Algae Farm.	Reduces algae farm production by 50%. Increases water facility upkeep by 15%.
Automated Sorting	Big Town		Increases mail capacity by 10%	₡300/city post service building
Book Fair	Busy Town		Increased happiness and entertainment within the Public Libraries radius.	Public Libraries upkeep increased by 100%.
Extra Insulation	Boom Town		Buildings require less energy for heating thanks to the extra insulation layer in their walls and roof.	Reduction in tax income due to higher construction/maintenance costs.
Fishing License	Tiny Town		Increases all residential tax income by 5%.	Reduces citizen happiness. Increases crime by 5%.
For-Profit Education	Big Town		All education building upkeep reduced by 50%.	Reduces citizen happiness.
Free Public Transport *	Busy Town	-	Increased use of public transportation.	No income from buses, trams, metro vehicles, local trains, or monorail vehicles.
Free WiFi	Boom Town		Reduce mail accumulation by 15%	₡2/building
Harsh Prison Sentences	Big Town		The prison sentences are twice as long as usual and the harsh verdicts keep the worst felons off the streets for longer, causing a reduction in crime rate.	Double the usual prison sentences; uses prison space longer.
High Ticket Prices	Boom Town		Raises public transport ticket prices by 25% to get more profit.	This may result in fewer passengers.
Education Boost	Big Town	-	Prioritize education over working for young adults.	Education budget increased by 25%.
Educational Blimps	Big Town		Switch advertisements on blimps to be educational posters to boost education slightly.	No cost.
Helicopter Priority	Busy Town		Emergency services will use helicopters instead of ground vehicles.	No cost.
No Electricity for Heat	Boom Town		Buildings can only use heat produced by heating services. Reduces electricity consumption.	Increases the demand on city heating services.
Only Electricity for Heat	Boom Town		Buildings are forbidden to use heating services; they can only use electricity.	Raises electricity consumption significantly during cold spells.
Parks and Recreation	Tiny Town	-	Moderately increased land value around parks and plazas.	Increases the Parks and Plazas budget by 20%.
Park Maintenance Boost	Tiny Town		Increases Park Maintenance vehicles' shift length by 50%.	₡80/Park Maintenance Building
Pet Ban	Tiny Town	-	Slightly reduced garbage accumulation.	Slightly decreased happiness.
Power Usage	Worthy Village	-	Moderately reduced electricity consumption (Reduced by 11%).	₡5/week/building
Prefer Ferries	Boom Town		Citizens prefer ferries for moving in the city.	₡2/ferry in use.
Prefer Parks	Tiny Town		Parks, Plazas and Park Areas draw 10% more visitors.	₡100/Park, Plaza or Park Area in the policy area.
Recreational Use	Boom Town	-	Slightly increased tax income. Moderately increased tourism. Slightly reduced crime rate.	+15% Police budget
Recycle Plastic	Boom Town		Recycling Centers work with +20% efficiency.	₡100/Recycling Center/week
Recycling	Boom Town	-	Slightly reduced garbage accumulation.	Slightly reduced tax income.
School's Out	Tiny Town		The citizens will prefer working over education and only a small portion of the eligible citizens will go to study in the university.	Results in fewer highly educated citizens.
Smoke Detector Distribution	Worthy Village	-	Significantly reduced risk of fire.	₡5/week/building
Smoking Ban	Tiny Town	-	Slightly increased health.	Slightly decreased happiness.
Tourist Travel Card	Big Town		The city will receive 8% more tourists.	Increases intercity bus network upkeep by 15%.

*Only applies to bus, tram, metro, monorail, and local train fares. For district policies, only passengers leaving from that district will get a free ride. Intercity trains, cargo trains, ships, planes and taxis will still continue to provide revenue, regardless.

Taxation

Policy	Unlocked	DLC	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Tax Raise for Low Density Residential	Big Town	-	Increases the tax rate by 2% for low density residential.	Decrease in Happiness
Tax Raise for High Density Residential	Big Town	-	Increases the tax rate by 2% for high density residential.	Decrease in Happiness
Tax Raise for Low Density Commercial	Big Town	-	Increases the tax rate by 2% for low density commercial.	Decrease in Happiness
Tax Raise for High Density Commercial	Big Town	-	Increases the tax rate by 2% for high density commercial.	Decrease in Happiness
Tax Raise for Offices	Big Town	-	Increases the tax rate by 2% for offices.	Decrease in happiness
Tax Relief for Low Density Residential	Big Town	-	Lowers the tax rate by 2% for low density residential.	Decreased tax income from low density residential buildings in affected area.
Tax Relief for High Density Residential	Big Town	-	Lowers the tax rate by 2% for high density residential.	Decreased tax income from high density residential buildings in affected area.
Tax Relief for Low Density Commercial	Big Town	-	Lowers the tax rate by 2% for low density commercial.	Decreased tax income from low density commercial buildings in affected area.
Tax Relief for High Density Commercial	Big Town	-	Lowers the tax rate by 2% for high density commercial.	Decreased tax income from high density commercial buildings in affected area.
Tax Relief for Offices	Big Town	-	Lowers the tax rate by 2% for offices.	Decreased tax income from offices in affected area.
Let Go of Leisure	Big Town		Leisure specialized areas get a hefty boost in their entertainment and attractiveness values.	No tax income from leisure specialized buildings in affected area.

City Planning

Policy	Unlocked	DLC	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Airplane Tours	Big Town		Increases building plane count, entertainment and city attractiveness.	Increases building noise pollution by 50%.
Anti-Slip Studs	Busy Town		Increases the health of elderly citizens by making them less likely to slip on icy streets.	₡4/senior citizen
Automated Toll	Big Town	-	Vehicles do not need to stop at toll booths, only slow down. Increases vehicle flow.	Reduces Toll Booth income by 30%
Big Business Benefactor	Small City	-	High density commercial buildings double their sales.	₡4/week/high density commercial building
Bike Ban On Sidewalks	Busy Town		This policy bans cycling on sidewalks. Bikes can only use dedicated bike lanes and bike pathways.
Boost Connections	Busy Town		Outside connection traffic capacity is increased by 20%. Applies to boats, planes, trains and private cars.	₡10,000/week
Combustion Engine Ban	Busy Town		Reduced traffic noise in policy area.	Combustion Engine vehicles cannot travel through policy area. (They may travel there if it is their destination or point of origin.)
Dolphin-Safe Fishing	Big Town		Minimal dolphin fatalities when tuna fishing. Increases citizen happiness by 20%.	Decreases fish yield by 25%.
Encourage Biking	Tiny Town		When this policy is active, most citizens will prefer bicycles over motor vehicles.
Electric Cars	Busy Town		Reduced traffic noise in policy area. Everyone living in the policy area must switch to an electric car if they own any cars.	₡2/Vehicle/week
Fast Recovery	Busy Town		Emergency Response Unit does not search for survivors; only makes lot ready for re-building. City recovers faster.	Increased loss of citizens from disaster.
Filter Industrial Waste	Busy Town		Industrial buildings filter their waste, reducing the ground pollution they create.	₡2/Industrial Building/week
Heavy Traffic Ban	Busy Town	-	Cargo Trucks cannot travel through a designated district; highways are not affected. This can be placed on an entire city, but has no effect on traffic.	Can block deliveries.
High Tech Housing	Small City	-	Slightly increased land value.	₡4/week/residential building
Highrise Ban	Small City	-	Prohibits construction of tall buildings.	Restricts the buildings from reaching their highest level.
Industrial Space Planning	Small City	-	Doubles goods from industrial buildings.	₡6/week/industrial building
Industry 4.0	Big Town	-	All industrial workplaces are for well educated and highly educated citizens. Increased production output by 50%.	No industrial workplaces for uneducated or educated citizens. Reduces workplaces by 30% / zoned industry.
Lightning Rods	Big Town		Tallest buildings install lightning rods to lower the likelihood of them catching fire during a thunderstorm.	₡1.60/week/building
NIMBY	Busy Town		No loud noise in the night! Leisure specialized areas will close for the night. Reduces noise pollution caused by leisure.	Reduced income from leisure specialized buildings at night.
No Re-Building	Busy Town		Forbid re-building on lots with destroyed buildings.	Lots have to be manually bulldozed to allow re-building.
Old Town	Tiny Town		Only residents and businesses can use the area for motor vehicles.	Other motor vehicles banned.
Small Business Enthusiast	Small City	-	Low density commercial buildings double their sales.	₡2/week/low density commercial building
Studded Tires	Busy Town		Cars are required to have studded tires during the winter. This makes cars resistant to small amounts of snow, keeping the traffic smoother even if there's some snow on the roads.	Increases road maintenance cost by 25%.
Sustainable Fishing	Big Town		Increases citizen happiness by 15%. Increases commercial income from goods by 5%.	Decreases fish yields by 10%. Increases fishing harbor upkeep by 15%.
VIP	Big Town		All shelters in policy area are reserved only for citizens living in the policy area.	Citizens not from the area cannot take refuge in these shelters.
Workers' Union	Busy Town		Slightly increase adult citizen's happiness	Reduce residential tax income by 2%

Other

Airports

Policies in the "Airports" category do not appear in the policies panel. They appear under the “Policies” tab on the airport’s info panel. The info panel can be accessed by clicking on the Airport Area.

Policy	Unlocked	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Car Rentals	Boom Town	Adds ₡2 income/passenger/week	Tourists are much more likely to use cars which may increase traffic.
Great Maintenance	Boom Town	Adds a land value bonus to the whole airport.	Cost ₡5/100 airport cells/week
Hotel Discounts	Boom Town	Adds a bonus of 200 points to the airport's attractiveness rating.	Cost ₡20/passenger/week

Campus

Campus has 2 policies in the policies panel, see the Services table above for Book Fair and For-profit Education.

Some policies in the "Campus" category do not appear in the policies panel. They appear under the “Policies” tab on the campus’ info panel. The info panel can be accessed by clicking on the Campus Area.

Policy	Unlocked	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Student Healthcare	Big Town	Increased student health.	Campus upkeep cost increased by ₡5/student
Free Lunch	Big Town	Increased student happiness.	Campus upkeep cost increased by ₡1/student
Visiting Scholars	Big City	Affects all Faculties within the Campus Area. Increases Faculty bonus by 25%	Affects all Faculties within the Campus Area. Faculty upkeep cost increased by 25%
Universal Education	Capital City	Students don't pay any tuition fees. Increases Campus attractiveness by 20% Increases student happiness.	No income from Campus tuition fees.

Campus Varsity Sports

Unlocked at Big Town milestone.

Campus policies in the "Varsity Sports" category do not appear in the policies panel. They appear under the “Policies” tab on the campus’ info panel. The info panel can be accessed by clicking on the Campus Area.

Policy	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Advertisement Campaign (Varsity Sports)	Draws 20% more visitors to arenas on campus.	₡200/week/arena located on campus
Fan Club Support	Increases odds of winning home and away games by 7%.	₡180/week/arena located on campus
Sponsorship Deals	Decreased upkeep cost of campus' varsity sports by 8%.	Billboard change from varsity team's logo to sponsor's brand.

Concerts

Concerts policies do not appear in the policies panel. They appear in the panel that appears when clicking on the Festival Area constructed from the Unique Buildings "Concert" tab.

Policy	Unlocked	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Ad Campaign (Concerts)	Tiny Town	Advertise the Festival to attract more visitors. Increases all band popularity by +1 per month.	₡9,000/week
Premium Studio	Tiny Town	A Premium Studio will increase the chances of a successful concert.	₡3,000/week

Industry

Policies in the "Industry" category do not appear in the policies panel. They appear under the “Policies” tab on the Industry Area’s info panel. The info panel can be accessed by clicking on the Industry Area.

Policy	Unlocked	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Advanced Automation	Tiny Town	Increase production output by 10%	Increase buildings upkeep by 10%
Improved Logistics	Tiny Town	Increases the storage capacity of Extractors and Processing buildings by 20%	Increase upkeep cost of industrial buildings by 10%
Improved Work Safety Supervision	Tiny Town	Increase worker's health	₡1/affected worker

Parks

Policies in the "Parks" category do not appear in the policies panel. They appear under the “Policies” tab on the park’s info panel. The info panel can be accessed by clicking on the Park Area.

Policy	Unlocked	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Animal Ethics	Tiny Town	Boosts the entertainment effect of the Zoo buildings by 20%.	₡10/Zoo Building
Even More Fun	Tiny Town	Boosts the entertainment effect of the Amusement Park buildings by 20%.	₡10/Amusement Park building
Celebrate	Tiny Town	Fireworks daily after dark instead of every week.
Fine For Fireworks	Tiny Town	The Park Area will not organize fireworks while this policy is active.	No fireworks.
Main Park	Tiny Town	Mark the park as the main attraction in the city to make it more attractive to tourists. If you have several parks with this policy active, they are equally attractive to visitors.
Night Tours	Tiny Town	Draws 30% more visitors during night-time.	₡50/week
Recycle Garbage	Tiny Town	Decrease garbage accumulation by 20% for the Nature Reserve buildings.	₡10/Nature Reserve Building
Advertisement Campaign (Parks)	Tiny Town	Draws 20% more visitors.	₡200/week

Pedestrian Areas

"Pedestrian Area" policies do not appear in the policies panel. They appear under the “Policies” tab on the pedestrian area’s info panel. The info panel can be accessed by clicking on the name of the Pedestrian Area.

Policy	Unlocked	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Deliver Everything	?	All buildings within this Pedestrian Area get cargo deliveries and garbage service via service points, even if they are not placed on pedestrian roads.	Increased load on Service Points.
Slow Driving	?	All roads in the Pedestrian Area that are not pedestrian streets get a very low speed limit. Decreases noise pollution.	Slow traffic movement. Does not apply to highways.
Street Music	?	Increases happiness in commercial zones.	Slightly increases noise pollution in commercial zones.
Sugar Ban	?	Increases the average lifespan of citizens in the Pedestrian Area by 20%.	Increases crime rate by 20% due to smuggling illegal candy bars.

Stadium

Unlocked at Tiny Town milestone.

Policies in the "Stadium" category do not appear in the policies panel, but appears when clicking on one of the stadiums constructed from the Unique Buildings "Football" tab or the stadiums from the "Varsity Sports" tab in the "Education and Campus Areas" menu. Does not apply to the level 6 Unique Building "Stadium".

Policy	Effect	Upkeep/Drawback
Come One, Come All	Public transport is free on match days. Increased amount of visitors raises the odds of winning matches.	No ticket revenue from public transport on match days.
Match Security	Hires security personnel to keep crime low around the stadium.	₡500/week/stadium
Subsidized Youth	Spending money on training young players increases the odds of your team winning.	₡9,000/week/stadium

Trivia

• Chirpers will complain about (almost) every new policy you make, no matter how beneficial they are.