Residential Buildings

Learn how to zone housing for Unskilled Workers, Skilled Workers, Executives, and Elites in Cities XL. Understand their needs and unlock requirements for your growing city.

Alright, let's talk about housing in Cities XL! This is where your citizens live, and it's broken down by who they are and how densely they like to live. You've got four main social classes: Unskilled Workers, Skilled Workers, Executives, and Elites. Plus, there are three density levels: Low, Medium, and High. When you first build your Town Hall, you'll have access to housing for Unskilled Workers (both Low and Medium density) and Skilled Workers (just Low density for now). Don't worry if you can't build everything at once; the other types unlock as your city's population grows. ### Unskilled Workers These folks are essential for industries like Food, Heavy Industry, Manufacturing, Retail, Hotels, Leisure, City Services, and Utilities. They're pretty easy to please – they just need services to be available and the environment to be livable. No fancy demands here! ### Skilled Workers Skilled Workers are needed across most industries, especially in Low or Middle density housing. They're a bit pickier than Unskilled Workers, requiring a low level of services and a slightly better environment. They're only needed in specific buildings in the Food industry, so keep that in mind. ### Executives Once your city hits over 15,000 people, you'll unlock housing for Executives. These are your higher-end workers, needed in most advanced businesses and services. They demand a good environment and a variety of services, both public and private. For example, to keep them happy with Leisure, you might need a basketball court, a swimming pool, and an indoor polo game all nearby. They'll use public transport if other options are a pain, and holiday choices can also affect their happiness. ### Elites When your population zooms past 100,000, you'll get access to Elite housing. These are the top dogs, working in the highest levels of every industry. They want the best of everything: no pollution, top-notch services in abundance, excellent roads, and access to Holiday zones. If they don't get it, they'll leave, and your biggest companies could lose their top managers. Make sure you've got the infrastructure to support them!