Quote Originally Posted by Dorkus
Finally public health buildings are probably the worst pop growth devices. In addition to providing no income, they have a trade building pre-req -- and it defeats the purpose of exponential growht when you have to wait so long for each upgrade.
Dorkus, forgive but I'm slow. I fail to see your point here.

The point in these structures is to reduce squalor which has two distinct effects. They produce happiness and allow for higher growth. Growth can be both a negative or positive factor for your empire as a whole depending on circumstances. Fast growth is not always good, sometimes is can put you into a bad situation. Public buildings are a one time cost, garrison of troops has to be paid upkeep every turn. I honestly feel this system works with some realism. It seems more realistic waiting for a town to turn into a city, then waiting 20 years to build a fortress like in MTW.