Mapping Cities

[assault]

Here's a question which I would like opinions on:

 

How do you map a city? In particular, how do you deal with geographical, rather than artificial features, like hills, creeks/streams, vegetation and so on?

 

Mapping buildings and streets is fairly easy, particularly in areas where streets run in a grid pattern, but how do you keep track of the other stuff that makes terrain interesting? The usual wilderness mapping techniques don't quite seem to work in an urban area.

[Hermit]

Re: Mapping Cities

 

Here's a question which I would like opinions on:

 

How do you map a city? In particular, how do you deal with geographical, rather than artificial features, like hills, creeks/streams, vegetation and so on?

 

Mapping buildings and streets is fairly easy, particularly in areas where streets run in a grid pattern, but how do you keep track of the other stuff that makes terrain interesting? The usual wilderness mapping techniques don't quite seem to work in an urban area.

 

I love using many fictional cities, and yet am too lazy to make my own maps for them. Still, one thing that might work, is if you have a good enough graphic program, is to take a grid and 'bulge' it slightly in spots.

 

Not sure about that.