how do u deal with squalor?

Hi guys, ppl over at the .com seem to be complaining that is very difficult to overcome this problem but some seem 2 hav no prob....so wats the deal? and esp with newly conquered cities? i havent got the game..so i really don't hope this problem doesnt make me cancel my order...
the sucidal AI generals..and the numerous repeated Senate orders to blockade...its the little things tt add up..sigh..

You get additional 5% public order reduction and .5% population growth reduction in the form of squalor for every 1,000 people your city has starting from a population number I can't remember at the moment. You can't reduce squalor except by having your governor gain an architect virtue or something like it.

You can, however, counteract the effects by increasing garrison size and constructing buildings that add to law, happiness, etc. Governor's influence and V&V's concerning law, etc. also applies. What makes squalor problematic is when you are close to becoming a huge city (the last one). Your public order really drops and you need more and more troops to maintain the same garrison effect.

hmm so does this reflect historical accuracy? how did romans back then handle those huge cities? huge garrisons and multiple health buildings as well?

There are things you can do to drop squalor... build sewers, public baths, an aqueduct, and city plumbing. These don't have a zero-out effect on squalor, but they do make the place more liveable.

Where squalor control breaks down is this: once you start to get enough to effect loyalty badly, you have to reduce taxes. This in turn leads to increased population growth rates. This adds to squalor, so you reduce taxes more... Do you see where this is headed? Once you get a big city, forming new units has no impact on population growth, so you lose another handle on squalor/population growth.

This might be an intentional feature to make it more challenging (if so, it certainly works!) It could be that we are missing some other factors.

Do city wall upgrades effect squalor? I would think a lovely stone wall would make the city more attractive than an old wooden picket fence.