Our Wards

Organization

The city of Hopetopia is a square grid that is roughly 20 miles by 18 miles with a population of 725,270 residents. The grid is divided into four wards, with downtown and city hall resting in the center of the city. Each ward has 4 roughly equally sized districts, each with a representative on the city council (for a total of 16 council members) and each district has 2-3 neighborhoods with linked economic and residential interests with neighborhood associations who often lobby on their behalf. Broadly, the city economy is propelled by 3 colleges in the city, one of which is a community college and one of which is an elite Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) college, a few tech manufacturing and engineering firms, and a robust service sector.

Southwest ward

The Southwest ward of Hopetopia is highly populated, demographically mixed, but very low income section of the city beset by problems and resource needs. The ward has widespread poverty, crumbling roads in many neighborhoods, an increasing supply of abandoned and condemned properties, and frequent complaints about the quality of the schools. Recently, several businesses have left the ward, including 1 of the 2 primary grocers, leaving residents with less access to food than other parts of the city. The ward also contains two homeless shelters and three substance abuse recovery centers.

Northeast ward

The Northeast ward is a demographically and socioeconomically mixed neighborhood and houses a robust set of bars, restaurants, and small to medium sized retailers. The schools in the ward are average schools and the largest private employer in the region, Sid’s Software Co. (a tech company), is headquartered in the ward. The ward is also home to the city’s arena, which hosts events and the city’s professional basketball team. The ward is known for its high-rises and density.

Southeast ward

The Southeast ward is primarily an upper-income ward and less demographically mixed than the city as a whole. The schools are well-funded and high-performing, the ward houses the area’s large university, and the ward contains a variety of very high-end retailers and restaurants.

Northwest ward

The Northwest ward is also very mixed income (from very wealthy to very poor) and very demographically mixed. The schools are well-funded and high-performing, and there are a range of businesses from smaller tech firms, a handful of mid-sized manufacturing firms, and the community college and elite STEM college are in the ward.