Build a scale model city

What can I use instead of large cardboard or recycled boxes for roads and buildings?

If you don't have cardboard to 'Cut long strips of cardboard to make the roads' or 'Cut recycled boxes into panels to make building pieces,' substitute cereal boxes, poster board, foam core, or folded construction paper and secure them with strong masking tape or glue.

My buildings keep collapsing or roads peel up — how can I fix that?

If folded buildings fall after you 'Secure each folded building with tape or glue' or roads lift after you 'Glue or tape the road strips onto the cardboard base,' reinforce building bases with extra cardboard, score fold lines before folding, use stronger glue or extra tape, and press heavy books onto glued roads until they dry.

How can I adapt the project for different ages or skill levels?

For younger kids simplify by choosing a larger scale (for example 1 cm = 5 m), pre-cut the 'road strips' and 'building panels,' and let them decorate with stickers and markers, while older kids can use the 1 cm = 1 m scale, measure roads with a ruler, cut panels themselves with craft knives (with supervision), and add detailed painting and traffic-testing challenges.

How can we extend or personalize the city after the basic build and traffic test?

To extend and personalize your city after you 'Test traffic flow by moving cars through the streets,' add LED tea lights inside buildings, make buildings modular so you can rearrange blocks, create custom street signs and a city name, plant twig trees or use buttons for benches, and then 'Share photos or a short description of your finished city on DIY.org.'