City Improvements

0:00 Civilization 3's city improvements are the buildings a city puts up one at a time: each costs shields to build and most cost gold every turn to keep, from the Temple at 40 shields and 1 gold a turn to the Factory at 200 shields and 3 gold, per Prima's official strategy guide (Table 7-1, pp. 120-122). They raise a city's output, keep its people content, defend it, let it grow past size 6 and 12, and (Temples, Libraries and the other "enlightening" buildings) earn the culture that pushes out its borders. The Civilization III Complete manual (p. 142) frames the choice as a series of trade-offs, asking whether a Courthouse would do more good than a Cathedral. Cities themselves are on Cities, and the one-of-a-kind buildings on Wonders.

Quick facts

Source: Prima's official strategy guide, pp. 61, 120-122; Play the World manual, p. 22; Civilization III Complete manual, pp. 143-144, 147.

Cost, upkeep and culture

Every improvement has a shield cost and a gold upkeep. Shields come from the city's own production, while upkeep is paid from the treasury each turn, so a city full of buildings is a standing bill: Prima's guide warns, for example, against building Barracks everywhere early because the maintenance drains the treasury, and against Aqueducts before a city needs them. On Chieftain and Warlord, Prima (pp. 15-16) adds, buildings are not sold off when the gold runs out. Adam Smith's Trading Company pays the upkeep of Marketplaces, Banks, Harbors and Airports, per Prima's wonder table (pp. 134-136).

Seven improvements earn culture points every turn: the Palace 1, the Temple, Colosseum and Research Lab 2 each, the Library and Cathedral 3 each and the University 4, per the Complete manual's chart (p. 147). A building earns more the longer it stands, and the manual advises building the "more civilized improvements" early once a city's defense is secure, especially near the edge of the empire. The official FAQ of 2002 also names Courthouses among the culture buildings, but neither the manual's chart nor Prima's lists them. How culture moves borders is on Culture and Borders.

Every improvement

The table gives the base game's values from Prima's guide (2001). The Complete manual (p. 143) prints no building chart and sends players to the in-game Civilopedia for costs and upkeep, so no source read gives the values as Conquests sets them.

Source: Prima's official strategy guide, pp. 120-122 (Table 7-1); culture from the Complete manual, p. 147; Play the World rows from the Play the World manual, p. 22.

2:50 Some buildings work only together. The University needs a Library and the Research Lab both, which is why Prima calls the three a "triple crown" worth 150 percent more science; the Bank needs a Marketplace, and every power plant and the Manufacturing Plant need a Factory. Only one power plant works in a city at a time, and a new one replaces the old one's effect, per Prima (p. 125). Five Banks unlocked the Wall Street Small Wonder in the base game; from Play the World on it takes five Stock Exchanges, per the Play the World manual (p. 22). The other Small Wonders built on improvements are on Wonders.

Which to build first

The Temple comes first in Prima's advice. Its guide calls it arguably the first improvement to build in every city, especially on the higher difficulty levels, because early happiness lets cities grow smoothly, per Prima (p. 132). It also earns 2 culture a turn from the day it is finished. Happiness itself is on Happiness and War Weariness.

2:43 The Granary is a judgment call. Prima (p. 126) says veteran players debate it: fast growth helps production, but a fertile city can outgrow its ability to stay content, so at King level or higher it advises waiting for Ceremonial Burial and Temples, and never rushing Granaries in cities already growing steadily. The Pyramids give every city on their continent a Granary's effect.

8:31 The Library goes into every city once Literature arrives, unless something more urgent such as unhappiness comes first, per Prima (p. 128), and the University and Research Lab follow it. Harbors, cheap to build and to keep, belong in every coastal city because they add food and link the city to the trade network (Resources and Trade).

9:32 The Marketplace is often left too late, Prima says, though besides 50 percent more tax it adds happy faces for the luxuries a city has: one for the first and second luxury, two for the third and fourth, three for the fifth and sixth and four for the seventh and eighth, per Prima's Table 7-2 (p. 128).

6:37 Growth buildings can wait. Prima advises building the Aqueduct only when a city reaches size 4 or 5 (and not at all in a city with fresh water in its radius, which grows past 6 without one) and the Hospital at about size 10, per Prima (pp. 123, 127). For power, it suggests waiting for the Hydro Plant rather than building polluting Coal Plants, and replacing Coal Plants once cleaner ones are available.

Courthouses and corruption

4:30 A Courthouse halves a city's corruption and waste, per Prima (p. 60), which recommends it for anyone who spreads an empire wide and early: without one, distant cities produce little. Cities with Courthouses are also less likely to revolt under enemy propaganda, per the Complete manual (p. 168). Prima's tip is that buildings only slow corruption; a better government is the lasting cure. The rules are on Corruption and Waste.

Walls, defenses and the end of Walls

Walls cost 20 shields and nothing to keep, and they raise a town's defense to that of a size 7 city; at size 7 and above they do nothing, per the Complete manual (p. 142). Prima notes they give 50 percent against Civilization 2's 300 percent, and that they can be destroyed by bombardment. The Coastal Fortress does the same job against ships and does not stop working as the city grows, and the SAM Missile Battery fires on attacking aircraft.

Rushing, selling and losing buildings

Gold can hurry a building under governments that allow it, at four times the gold of the shields still needed, per the Complete manual (p. 144); other governments spend population instead. Neither works on a Wonder, and nothing can be rushed while a city holds resisting citizens. Disbanding a unit in the city or clearing a forest in its radius adds shields to the current build.

Any improvement except a Wonder can be sold for gold by right-clicking it in the city's Improvements Roster, per the Complete manual (p. 143), which suggests it when money is short or a city is about to fall. Spies can sabotage a build, bombardment can destroy buildings, and every Small Wonder in a city is destroyed when it is captured.

Frequently asked questions

What should I build first in Civ 3? Prima's official Civilization 3 guide calls the Temple arguably the first improvement for every city, since it makes one unhappy citizen content and earns 2 culture a turn for 40 shields and 1 gold upkeep. It suggests a Library in every city after Literature and Harbors in every coastal city.

What does a Courthouse do in Civ 3? In Civilization 3 a Courthouse (Code of Laws, 80 shields, 1 gold upkeep) halves a city's corruption and waste, per Prima's guide, and makes the city less likely to revolt under enemy propaganda, per the Complete manual.

What does the Marketplace do in Civ 3? The Civilization 3 Marketplace raises a city's tax income by 50 percent and adds happy faces for its luxuries, from one for the first two luxuries up to four for the seventh and eighth, per Prima's official guide.

How much do buildings cost to maintain in Civ 3? Civilization 3 buildings cost 0 to 3 gold each per turn in Prima's table: Walls and spaceship parts nothing, the Temple, Library and Marketplace 1, the Cathedral and University 2, and the Factory and power plants 3.

Which buildings give culture in Civ 3? In Civilization 3 the Palace (1), Temple (2), Colosseum (2), Research Lab (2), Library (3), Cathedral (3) and University (4) earn culture points every turn, per the Complete manual, along with every Wonder and Small Wonder.

Do you need an Aqueduct in Civ 3? A Civilization 3 city needs an Aqueduct to grow past size 6 and a Hospital to pass size 12, but Prima's guide says a city with fresh water such as a river in its radius grows past 6 without an Aqueduct.

Can you sell buildings in Civ 3? Yes: in Civilization 3 any improvement except a Wonder can be sold for gold by right-clicking it in the city's Improvements Roster, per the Complete manual.

Sources

• Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete manual, Atari and Firaxis Games, 2005, read Oct 22, 2026
• Sid Meier's Civilization III, Prima's Official Strategy Guide (archive.org copy), Prima Games (David Ellis), 2001, read Oct 22, 2026
• Civilization III: Play the World manual (archive.org copy), Infogrames and Firaxis Games, 2002, read Oct 22, 2026
• Civilization III FAQ: Culture & Nationality (archived), Infogrames and Firaxis Games, Mar 2002, read Oct 22, 2026
• Top 6 Essential Buildings In Civ 3, Suede, Feb 9, 2021 (video)
• The 12 most powerful techs in Civ 3, Suede, Dec 28, 2024 (video)