I love Maxis neighbourhood items. Power stations, cooling towers, radio satelites and the all-new junk ridden alleyways are fantastic, and mixing these with some neighbourhood lots that have some sort of urban/industrial visual impact really sets the grungy urban scene! (note: all links open in new windows).

For Picket's Trailors (pictured left), I placed the Container Shipping Yard to one side. This lot is not one I tend to play that often, but it does look very colourful and industrial, with a tall crane on top completing the effect. Behind that, I placed one of the Industrial Age lots: the Gas Street Power Station because the tall chimneys and large windows really stand out in a neighbourhood background.


Another lot I use extensively in backgrounds is the Gulf Offshore Oil Rig. In its own right, it's a large lot, but it stretches quite some way across the picture on the right and it makes a great background feature because of all the high cranes and masts. I tend to set it at a short distance in the background where it's still visible over the top of closer buildings.

And why am I telling you all this? Well, it's easy to download a lot because of its screenshot. I never alter screenshots of actual buildings or objects offered for download; I sometimes change the sky backdrop so it's a little less of a cheerful blue!) but surrounding neighbourhood decor can still mislead, with the lot itself seeming much more plain in an empty neighbourhood. That can be disappointing, so I figured I'd tell you what I used (and provide the links so you can easily do something similar if you wish).