Urceopolis (City): Difference between revisions

|population_total        = 8,374,201

Traditionally, the City of Urceopolis was under the control of the left-liberal faction of the [[Commonwealth Union (Urcea)|Commonwealth Union]] for most of the 20th century. The [[National Pact (Urcea)|National Pact]], which began its history as a Urceopolitan political club, often represented a large minority party. The Urcean left in various forms was often politically successful in poorer areas like Campori, but was usually more successful in the [[Concilium Daoni]] elections than municipal elections. Since the [[2015 Urcean elections|2015 realignment]], however, the [[National Pact (Urcea)|National Pact]] has been ascendant within the city, with the local party especially emphasizing its [[Crown Liberalism|Crown Liberal]] positions. The left wing [[Social Labor Party (Urcea)|Social Labor Party]] is the second most successful party since 2015, having the second largest number of seats on the Archcathedral Council as of 2026, although sitting in an extreme minority. The [[Solidarity Party (Urcea)|Solidarity Party]] has struggled to compete in Urceopolis as it has in other cities since the decline of its predecessor, the National Democratic Party, finishing in third in most elections since 2015. The politics of the city trend towards liberal centrism, favoring a form of cosmopolitanism with some limited traditional influences.

The Flats and Aricina, although now a single borough, consists of two areas of the city which existed during antiquity. Aricina was the port district of the Old City which largely had its own political apparatus during the era of [[Great Levantia]]. The adjacent area known as the Flats was originally the city's harbor on the Esquiline, sheltered from the [[Urce River]] to the west by New City, which was originally a peninsula. The existence of the Flats as a sheltered, usable harbor, is most likely the original reason for the city being established where it is. Changing climate lead to the Flats transitioning from useful harbor land to marshy swamplands around 350 BC, after which much of Aricina's usefulness as a port came to an end as most port operations moved to the areas adjoining the river, especially with the construction of the city of Ardotalia in around 150 AD. Aricina, which had its own system of walls within the city, became an isolated and poor area during most of the Great Levantine and medieval periods, occasionally being repurposed as a quarantine ward for disease outbreaks. The Flats were drained during the initial reign of [[House de Weluta]] ca. 1450 and became one of the most fashionable parts of the city, with land being available to build large and lavish structures, including theaters and opera houses as well as urban mansions. Aricina experienced significant growth following the Flats being drained, with the walls separating the two areas eventually coming down to be used as building materials. The two areas subsequently became closely associated since the 17th century, although Aricina's position as a prominent hill relative to the Flats made it a well sought after location. During the 19th century, much of the Flats were demolished in order to erect the [[Royal Green]], which now bisects the borough. It is a common misconception that the area of the borough to the north of the Green is "the Flats" while the area to its south is "Aricina", though this information is commonly taught abroad. Today, the borough is not only home to the Green, the city's major park, but also many museums and government buildings.  

Ardot was established as ''Ardotalia'' and was one of the first planned cities in [[Great Levantia]], built in around 150 AD.. Sitting to the northwest of the Crescent, Ardotalia served as a port city on the [[Urce River]] and its planning allowed for the city to function well, with goods flowing in and out of Urceopolis to the port at high levels of efficiency. The city's construction largely lead to the depreciation of the port of Aricina on the Esquiline and general decline of mercantile activity on that river. During the early medieval period, the city continued to be a thriving port and was incorporated into Urceopolis itself by the end of the 12th century. The port's infrastructure was not maintained, however, and significant silting issues in the Urce River lead to the area being mostly unsuitable for a port by 1300, and the area was functionally abandoned by 1400 as the main port had moved to [[#Kingswood|Kingswood]]. The easy availability of land meant that the area became a popular location for large country estates, and nobility began to buy up parts of what was now referred to as Ardot beginning in the 16th century. The large and luxurious homes here were gradually purchased by foreign governments for use as embassies as more fashionable options in the [[Ionian Plateau]] became available with the [[Rail transportation in Urcea#History|advent of the railroad]].

Campori, whose name originated as ''Campus Orientalis'', was an occasional military marshaling ground during the time of [[Great Levantia]] and was sparsely populated for most of [[Urcea]]'s history. Even after being incorporated into the city as part of the [[Administrative Reorganization Act of 1892]], Campori remained largely rural until after the [[Second Great War]]. The area was developed by the [[Government of Urcea]] with large public housing projects intended for veterans of the war and their families. The projects were intended to be models for the rest of the country, but ran into significant problems during construction including cost overruns, and many of the houses were not complete until the early 1950s. The area was considered up and coming during the 1950s and 60s, but generally began to decline as the population of Second Great War veterans began to move away in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The population of veterans was gradually replaced by other groups of Urceans on waiting lists for housing, namely {{wp|Vagrancy|vagrants}} from across the country, recently released convicts, and other generally impoverished people. The introduction of these groups lead to a dramatic relocation of the veteran communities by the mid 1970s, leading the area to significant economic decline. The situation partly stabilized with the introduction of [[Crona|Cronan]] immigrants during the 20th century, but due to the prevalence of tower blocks the area remains a major source of housing stock for those with very low incomes in Urcea.

Several competing rapid transit systems were constructed in Urceopolis during the 19th and early 20th century. The first {{wp|Elevated railway|elevated railway}} with service from Crescent to Arelate opened in 1871 in conjunction with the construction of a long distance rail hub erected in Arelate. This first elevated train saw significant use and lead to a population explosion in Arelate, and the successful concept saw the construction of several elevated rail lines throughout the 1870s and 1880s. Most of these lines were constructed by a new company known as the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company. Construction largely came to a half during the [[Red Interregnum]], though during this time of hiatus the government of [[Gréagóir FitzRex]] did give approval for the IRT to experiment with underground lines, and the first line - the Crescent Circulator, a now-defunct line running mostly in a straight line from Old City to New City with a stop along the [[Royal Green]] - opened in 1897. The increase of the city's land area with the [[Administrative Reorganization Act of 1892]] also created significant opportunities for rail developers The end of the Red Interregnum and restoration of [[Patrick III of Urcea|King Patrick III]] saw a major uptick in construction, in part with government funding. By 1910, the city was dominated with a largely tangled network of elevated rail lines operated by IRT and its primary competitor Citylines, both of whom were shifting new line construction underground. The primary tunnels for lines for these competitors were constructed in the period 1907-1909, and most are still in operation during the 21st century. The city government created a public rapid transit company known as Royal Transit in 1914 to try and build additional underground lines in order to put the problematic elevated lines out of business, and accordingly the city constructed additional tunnels from 1914 to 1920. The loss of revenue for elevated lines gradually lead Citylines to declare bankruptcy in 1927, and the company was purchased by the city and integrated within its systems. Interboro Rapid Transit would also struggle during this period, but a halt to major acquisitions as a result of the [[Second Great War]] lead to it receiving subsidies from the [[Government of Urcea]] until 1943, when the war ended. That year, the IRT was acquired by Royal Transit, which renamed itself Archcathedral Rapid Transit. Most of the elevated lines were closed during the war and their resources recycled for the war effort. Today, the three different types of lines are still recognized by their division indicators; the Interborough Rapid Transit lines in the IRT Division, the Royal Transit lines in the ROY Division, and the Citylines lines in the CLR (Citylines Railroad) division.