I’ve found that in Civilization 6, winning comes down to a ton of smart choices, but one of the biggest game-changers that people often overlook is how you lay out your districts. A perfectly placed district can become the heart of your empire, pumping out the Science, Culture, Faith, or Gold you need to leave your rivals in the dust. A bad placement? It’s just a tile that could have been so much more. I’m going to walk you through how to master district adjacency bonuses, so you can turn your cities from random sprawl into super-efficient powerhouses. It’s time to get deliberate with your city planning; this is the foundation for your next win.
Why Adjacency Bonuses Are a Total Game-Changer
The whole system is actually pretty simple: districts get extra yields when they’re next to certain things. A Campus loves being near mountains, and a Commercial Hub gets a huge boost from a river. These bonuses aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re how you build a truly powerful empire. A basic Campus gives you a little Science, sure, but one tucked into a mountain range can single-handedly rocket you through the tech tree.
Getting this right means you can:
- Speed Up Everything: Better yields mean you unlock techs and civics faster, get more faith for Great People and religious pushes, and build a stronger economy to fund it all.
- Make Your Cities Specialists: You can have one city be your science hub, another your cultural center, and another your commercial powerhouse. This makes your whole empire more efficient and harder to stop.
- Get a Real Edge: In a tight game of Civ 6, it’s all about efficiency. Nailing your adjacency bonuses is one of the most reliable ways to pull ahead of everyone else.
The Universal Rules for City Layouts
Before we get into specific districts, there are a few basic rules you should always keep in mind. These are the foundation for any good city plan.
- District Synergy: Most districts get a +0.5 bonus for every two districts they’re next to. This means you want to create “downtown” areas where your districts are clustered together, feeding off each other.
- The Government Plaza: This district is a must-have. It gives a +1 adjacency bonus to any district right next to it. You should build your most important districts around your Government Plaza.
- Strategic Resources: A lot of districts get a +1 bonus for being next to a strategic resource. This makes those iron, horse, and niter tiles valuable for more than just units.
The Science Powerhouse: How to Max Out Your Campus
If you’re going for a science victory, the Campus is your best friend. The adjacency bonuses are simple but incredibly strong.
- Mountains Are Key: A Campus gets a +1 Science bonus for every single mountain tile it’s touching. If you find a spot near a mountain range, you’ve found the perfect place for a science city.
- Geothermal Fissures and Reefs: These are less common, but they give a huge +2 Science bonus each. A coastal city with a few reefs can be a surprisingly good science hub.
- Rainforests: Every rainforest tile next to a Campus gives a +0.5 Science bonus. It’s not as good as mountains, but a Campus in the middle of a rainforest can still get a nice starting boost.
Here’s a perfect example: Let’s say you have a city next to a three-tile mountain range. If you place your Campus so it touches all three, you start with a +3 Science bonus. If you can also get it next to a Geothermal Fissure, that’s a massive +5. Add a couple of other districts next to it, and you’ve got a Campus that will carry your science for the whole game.
Civilization Spotlight: Korea’s Seowon
If you’re playing as Korea, their unique Seowon district changes things up. It gets a flat +4 Science bonus but doesn’t get adjacency from districts or other features. Instead, it gets +1 Science for every mine next to it. This means you’ll want to plan your cities differently, maybe putting your Seowon in a hilly area to take advantage of all the mines you can build.
Building a Theocracy: Mastering the Holy Site
For a religious victory, you need a ton of Faith, and the Holy Site is how you get it.
- The Power of Nature: Natural Wonders are the best thing you can have next to a Holy Site. They give a +2 Faith bonus for each tile. There’s a reason settling your first city near a Natural Wonder is such a popular strategy.
- Mountains and Woods: Just like the Campus, Holy Sites get +1 Faith from mountains. They also get a +0.5 Faith bonus for every woods tile they’re next to.
- Policy Cards and Beliefs: The Scripture policy card doubles your Holy Site adjacency bonuses, so it’s a must-have if you’re focusing on faith. Some religious beliefs can also boost your Faith generation even more.
Here’s how to create a spiritual heartland: Imagine you settle near the Delicate Arch, a two-tile Natural Wonder. If you place your Holy Site so it touches both tiles, you get an instant +4 Faith bonus. If you can also put it next to a mountain, that’s +5. With the Scripture policy card, that one Holy Site will be giving you 10 Faith per turn from adjacency alone.
Civilization Spotlight: Russia’s Lavra
Russia’s unique Lavra is amazing for generating Great People. It has the same adjacency bonuses as a regular Holy Site, but it also gives you Great Writer, Great Artist, and Great Musician points whenever you use a Great Person in that city. This creates a cool gameplay loop where you use your Faith to get Great People, who then boost your culture.
The Engine of Industry: Supercharging Your Industrial Zone
Production is what makes your empire go, and the Industrial Zone is the engine. Its adjacency bonuses are a bit more complex, but they’re so worth it.
- The Industrial Triangle: This is a classic strategy that’s super effective. An Industrial Zone gets a +2 Production bonus from an adjacent Aqueduct, Dam, or Canal. If you can place these three districts around your Industrial Zone, you can get a +6 adjacency bonus just from infrastructure.
- Mines and Quarries: Every mine or quarry next to your Industrial Zone gives a +0.5 Production bonus. This means you want to build your Industrial Zones in hilly areas with lots of resources.
- Strategic Resources: Like other districts, an Industrial Zone gets a +1 Production bonus from being next to a strategic resource.
Here’s the perfect industrial core: Let’s say you have a city on a river with a floodplains tile. You can build a Dam on the floodplains. Then, build an Aqueduct from the city center to the river. Finally, place your Industrial Zone so it’s touching both the Dam and the Aqueduct. That’s a +4 Production bonus right there. Surround it with hills and build mines, and you’ll have an industrial powerhouse.
Civilization Spotlight: Germany’s Hansa
Germany’s unique Hansa is probably the best Industrial Zone in the game. Instead of the usual +0.5 bonus from two adjacent districts, the Hansa gets a +2 Production bonus for every Commercial Hub it’s next to. It also gets a +1 bonus for every resource it’s next to. This means you want to cluster your Hansas and Commercial Hubs together for insane production yields.
Fueling Your Treasury: Optimizing Your Commercial Hub and Harbor
You need a strong economy for any victory type, and the Commercial Hub and Harbor are how you get it.
- Commercial Hub: The River’s Bounty: The Commercial Hub gets a +2 Gold bonus for every river tile it’s next to. This makes cities on rivers perfect for economic development. It also gets a +2 bonus for being next to a Harbor.
- Harbor: The Coastal Treasure Trove: The Harbor gets a +1 Gold bonus for every coastal resource it’s next to. A city with a lot of crabs, fish, and pearls can become a major economic hub. It also gives a +2 bonus to an adjacent Commercial Hub.
Synergy is Key: The real magic happens when you combine these two. A coastal city with a river can build both a Harbor and a Commercial Hub right next to each other. This creates a powerful economic engine where each district boosts the other’s output.
Civilization Spotlight: Mali’s Suguba
Mali’s unique Suguba is a gold-making machine. It gets a +2 Gold bonus for every Holy Site it’s next to and a +1 bonus for every river tile. This encourages you to build your Sugubas and Holy Sites along a river, creating a golden triangle of commerce and faith.
The Cultural Epicenter: Crafting a High-Yield Theater Square
For a cultural victory, you need a ton of Culture and Tourism, and the Theater Square is how you get it.
- The Wonder of the World: The Theater Square’s main adjacency bonus comes from Wonders. It gets a +2 Culture bonus for every Wonder it’s next to. This means you need to plan your Wonder placement carefully if you’re going for a cultural victory.
- Entertainment is Key: An Entertainment Complex or Water Park next to your Theater Square gives a +2 Culture bonus. This encourages you to create dedicated entertainment and cultural centers in your cities.
Here’s the ultimate cultural district: Imagine you’ve built the Great Library and the Oracle. If you place a Theater Square so it’s touching both of them, you get an instant +4 Culture bonus. If you can also put an Entertainment Complex on the other side, that’s a +6 bonus. That one district will be a cultural powerhouse, generating a ton of Culture every turn.
Government and Diplomacy: The Unsung Heroes of Adjacency
The Government Plaza and the Diplomatic Quarter are unique districts that play a huge supporting role in your city planning.
- The Government Plaza: As I mentioned before, the Government Plaza gives a +1 adjacency bonus to all adjacent districts. This makes it the perfect centerpiece for your most important district clusters.
- The Diplomatic Quarter: This district gets +1 Culture for every adjacent district and +1 Influence per turn for every two adjacent districts. Its real strength is in its buildings, which are essential for doing well in the World Congress.
Supporting Districts: The Crucial Role of Aqueducts, Dams, Canals, and Neighborhoods
These districts don’t get direct yields from adjacency, but they’re essential for maximizing the potential of your other districts and helping your cities grow.
- Aqueducts, Dams, and Canals: As we’ve seen, these are crucial for getting the most out of your Industrial Zones. They also provide a lot of housing and amenities.
- Neighborhoods: These are essential for late-game city growth. They don’t have adjacency bonuses themselves, but where you place them is still important for maximizing the appeal of the surrounding tiles for housing.
Civilization-Specific Adjacency: Unleashing Your Civ’s Full Potential
Some civilizations have unique abilities that completely change the district planning game.
- Japan: The Meiji Restoration: Japan’s districts get a +1 adjacency bonus for every adjacent district, instead of the usual +0.5 for every two. This means you want to pack your districts in as tightly as possible to create incredibly powerful clusters.
- Australia: The Land Down Under: Australia’s districts get a +1 bonus on tiles with Charming appeal and a +3 bonus on tiles with Breathtaking appeal. This makes managing tile appeal a huge part of playing as Australia.
- The Netherlands: Grote Rivieren: The Netherlands’ Campuses, Theater Squares, and Industrial Zones get a +2 adjacency bonus when they’re built next to a river. This makes their river cities incredibly versatile and powerful.
Advanced Strategies: Triangles, Diamonds, and City-Wide Specialization
Once you’ve got the basics down, you can start trying out some more advanced city planning concepts.
- The District Triangle: This is a classic layout where you place three districts in a triangle, so each one is touching the other two. It’s a simple and effective way to maximize the district-to-district adjacency bonus.
- The Diamond Formation: This is a more complex but very rewarding layout where you have four districts in a diamond shape. This can create even more powerful adjacency bonuses, especially if you put a Government Plaza in the middle.
- City Specialization: As your empire gets bigger, you should start specializing your cities. Have one city be your main science hub, with multiple Campuses and supporting districts. Have another be your industrial heartland, with a powerful Industrial Zone and lots of mines. This makes your whole empire more efficient and resilient.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Your City
Here’s a practical checklist you can use every time you settle a new city:
- Survey the Terrain: Before you do anything, take a good look at the surrounding tiles. Find the mountains, rivers, rainforests, reefs, and other key features.
- Identify Key Resources: Note where the luxury and strategic resources are. These will influence where you place your districts.
- Place Your First District: Your first district should be the one that will get the most out of the surrounding terrain. If you’re near mountains, start with a Campus. If you’re on a river, a Commercial Hub is a good choice.
- Plan for Future Districts: Don’t just think about the present. Use map tacks to plan out where your future districts will go, making sure you leave space for key adjacency bonuses.
- Factor in Wonders and Government Plazas: As you progress through the game, make sure you incorporate Wonders and your Government Plaza into your city plans. These can give you a massive boost to your adjacency bonuses.
Mastering district adjacency is a journey, but it’s so worth it. It takes some foresight and planning, but the rewards are huge. Once you stop placing districts randomly and start thinking strategically about your urban design, you’ll unlock the true potential of your civilization and pave the way for a decisive and satisfying victory. The next time you found a city, don’t just see a collection of tiles; see a canvas where you can paint your masterpiece of urban planning.