Like stated by Shiro in a comment , it's difficult to give a precise answer. I can suggest a possible starting point.

Use random voronoi generation where , given a set of random points P , each point in space is weighted relative to the distance from the nearest p in P.

Now , instead of considering euclidean distance use Manhattan distance and you get something like this :

then adjoust the gradient to obtain this

Answer from dnk drone.vs.drones on Stack Exchange
🌐
Dungeon Scrawl
probabletrain.itch.io › tools › free
City Generator by ProbableTrain
Procedurally-generated American cities. Play in your browser
🌐
Oskarstalberg
oskarstalberg.com › game › CityGenerator
City Generator
If you are not redirected automatically, follow the link to example
🌐
Lair Of Secrets
lairofsecrets.com › home › five instant city generators
Five Instant City Generators - Lair Of Secrets
February 26, 2025 - Five Instant city generators for creating villages and cities for your role-playing game campaign.
🌐
Simteract
simteract.com › projects › city-generator
City Generator – Simteract
City Generator is an advanced city generator which allows you to instantly create virtual environments in 3D, ready to be implemented in the game engine. Preparing the final project we use real data, thanks to which we generate cities.
🌐
itch.io
watabou.itch.io › tools › free
Medieval Fantasy City Generator by watabou
This application generates a random medieval city layout of a requested size. The generation method is rather arbitrary, the goal is to produce a nice looking map, not an accurate model of a city.
🌐
Watabou
watabou.github.io › city.html
Medieval Fantasy City Generator - Watabou's Procgen Arcana
Medieval Fantasy City Generator (MFCG) is the most developed and most popular generator of this set. Its initial version was crteated for the Montly Challenge on Reddit and back then maps it produced weren't much more than city-shaped Voronoi diagrams.
Top answer
1 of 3
2

Like stated by Shiro in a comment , it's difficult to give a precise answer. I can suggest a possible starting point.

Use random voronoi generation where , given a set of random points P , each point in space is weighted relative to the distance from the nearest p in P.

Now , instead of considering euclidean distance use Manhattan distance and you get something like this :

then adjoust the gradient to obtain this

2 of 3
2

There are simple ways to generate cities, depending on your needs.

Some time ago, I wanted to generate cities for a fantasy setting, so I started playing with a generator. Like I said in another SE post: "rough on the edges" is an understatement. But it suits my needs (it may meet your needs too).

This is what it looks like:

Some terms I use internally:

  • A tile is the smallest unit I handle; on the image one of the small houses fills almost a full tile.
  • A block is a group of NxM tiles.

And this is how I generate it:

First I generate a central feature, such as the block with the "fountain" (let's call this block a town square). I decide its width and height and place it near the center.

Then I try generating "blocks" for as long as I can:

  1. Generate a block size (somewhere between 2x2 and 5x5).
  2. Iterate through the image and decide where to place it. For this a weight is assigned depending on adjacency to other blocks (similar to what I explained on this post).
  3. Place the block if a suitable location is found. When no suitable location is found, go on to the next step.

Once all blocks have been placed, I can add houses and buildings for each block. I took care of leaving a gap between blocks and another between houses. Some buildings use four tiles (2x2).

Finally, I do the actual drawing in an image.

🌐
Vondy
vondy.com › futuristic-city-game-generator--qgAmgkx5
Best Futuristic City Game Generator | Vondy
Generate stunning sci-fi city maps with our Futuristic City Game Generator. Perfect for Dungeons & Dragons and other RPGs, customize your city with unique features and landmarks. Create your dream city today!
Find elsewhere
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/swn › city map generator?
r/SWN on Reddit: City map generator?
October 25, 2022 -

Straight forward question. Does anyone know of an application/website to procedurally generate City maps? Up to this point I’ve just been stealing real city maps of actual cities and removing the labels, but it feels kinda cheap.

🌐
Fab
fab.com › listings › a41732dd-26f2-49e1-9f76-2167934651c2
Interactive Procedural City Generator | Fab
Interactive Procedural City Generator
Our Interactive Procedural City Creator aka iPCC is complete suite of tools for generating ultra realistic city environments interactivly using your own assets, for instance like the Matrix Awakens city.
(3.6)
Price   US$199.99
🌐
Rock Paper Shotgun
rockpapershotgun.com › home › news › walking simulator
This random city generator is remarkable | Rock Paper Shotgun
January 11, 2019 - All the more impressive is that ... procedurally-generated gamejam, rather than being the work of aeons. It's the work of a German dev calling themselves Marian42, and there's some fascinating detail on how and why it was made here. And, over in comments on the Itch page, it's revealed that a city can in fact ...
🌐
itch.io
watabou.itch.io
watabou - itch.io
Please read the description on the game page ... This time you only have one weapon - a switch hook! ... Simplistic profile portrait generator. ... A small image and a name... ... Grass, leaves and some flowers. ... The Haunting of... ... Toy Town is a 3d-visualizer for Medieval Fantasy City Generator.
🌐
Bram.us
bram.us › 2021 › 12 › 02 › townscraper-town-generator-game
Townscaper – Town Generator Game
This summer Oskar Stålberg released his game Townscaper (see video above). Build quaint island towns with curvy streets, small hamlets, soaring cathedrals, canal networks, or sky cities on stilts. Build the town your dreams, block by block. No goal. No real gameplay.
🌐
Vondy
vondy.com › random-city-layout-generator--8iwi4e7c
Best Random City Layout Generator | Vondy
Discover the ultimate random city layout generator, perfect for creating unique cityscapes for gaming, storytelling, or urban planning. Customize your city map with specific features and styles, from modern metropolises to medieval towns. Start designing your ideal city today!
🌐
Watabou
watabou.github.io › city-generator
Medieval Fantasy City Generator
This webpage makes extensive use of JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to view this page
🌐
Random City Generator
randomcity.net
Home page - Random City Generator
With just a click of a button, you’ll be presented with a randomly selected city, complete with fascinating details and essential information. ... Instant Discovery: Generate a random city with one click and start exploring.
🌐
Probabletrain
maps.probabletrain.com
City Map Generator
We cannot provide a description for this page right now
🌐
Superhive
superhivemarket.com › products › the-city-generator
The City Generator - Superhive (formerly Blender Market)
The City Generator
Easily generate complex cities with customizable parameters.
(4.0)
Price   US$64.00
🌐
OpenArt
openart.ai › generator › city-map
The Best Text to City Map AI Generator (for Free)
Map your metropolis with the AI City Map Generator! Design detailed urban layouts for real or fictional cities. Start Creating → · Metropolis · Customize -> Small Town · Customize -> Historical City · Customize -> Island City · Customize ...