how do I combat squalor

[fester]

I've even tried not biulding any farm upgrades but it still rockets, I've got more rats than cavalry

[Craterus]

Recruit peasants, this reduces population and then send them rebel-hunting, or move them to a town, where there is less population and you want it to grow...

[Old Celt]

Squalor is capped at a 100% relative rate for version 1.2. If you are playing an earlier version, there is no cap. Squalor cannot be eliminated, you just treat its symptoms. Here are the things you can do:

1. Control population growth. Squalor increases in direct proportion to pop growth. If a city has reached the 24K level, there is no need to grow it further and you should manage it for zero growth or slight population decline.

2. Don't build advanced farm upgrades. These boost population growth levels and cannot be destroyed.

3. Don't build fertility temples which boost population.

4. Carefully examine the VnVs of your governors. Some governors have nasty traits which significantly increase squalor. Others have good traits which reduce it. The good trait governor is the only real way squalor can ACTUALLY be reduced. Such governors are rare.

5. Build the health upgrades available to your city. This doesn't reduce squalor, but it keeps up happiness which would fall as a result of squalor otherwise.

6. Use taxes and games to keep up public order.

7. Make maximum use of garrisons. Garrisons can raise order by a total of 80% plus whatever value you can get of units in the queue, even if they won't be allowed to stay in the city.

[sunsmountain]

Dont build:
- farms.
- temples with growth bonus

8% total growth rate is the magic number (will sustain 24000 pop). Use the settlement details scroll and add up the numbers you see.

To maintain public order, you should (in order of being cost effective):
1. Install a governor if you have a spare: you're paying for them anyway!
2. Build temples.
3. Build arenas/execution squares/odeons (public order boosting buildings).
4. Build health buildings and the level 5 market, though these only compensate the problems they generate themselves in terms of squalor, long term.
5. Lower the tax rate. Aim for 85% at high rate, or 75% at low/normal (to avoid the traits efficient taxman & poor assessor).

This should work for most settlements, but for those that are newly conquered and/or far far away:

6. Use as much garrisons as you need if the population is below 16800.
7. Use Games/Races above 16800, where you mix with troops and match. Obviously if you need 25% you can throw Monthly Games (+20%) and use some troops (+5%), you don't need Daily Games (+40%) in that case.

[Magraev]

With Squalor capped at 100% a huge city isn't as much of a problem in 1.2.

My Carthage is at present over 50.000 inhabitants, and I'm keeping them mellow with a full compliment of peasant garrisons and a pantheon of Vulcan.

Still can be annoying though, but the extra pop does earn you taxes.

[Rubber Ducky]

If the population is going out of control above 24k put em to the sword

1) Empty the city of all units and park em just outside.
2) Give city to enemy (or some faction you're willing to go to war with). Offer it as a gift.
3) After changed hands, reoccupy and slay them all!

I find this the most efficient way to maintain order and gain huge amounts of cash of loot. It wouldn't hurt much in taxes in the long run as someone proved that population above 12k I think pay much less taxes per.

[Camp Freddie]

Demolish enemy temples and build your own ones (preferably to gods of justice).
Do this before it gets too late, since you'll likely get a hapiness drop until you can get your own temples built!

[Craterus]

If the population is going out of control above 24k put em to the sword

1) Empty the city of all units and park em just outside.
2) Give city to enemy (or some faction you're willing to go to war with). Offer it as a gift.
3) After changed hands, reoccupy and slay them all!

I find this the most efficient way to maintain order and gain huge amounts of cash of loot. It wouldn't hurt much in taxes in the long run as someone proved that population above 12k I think pay much less taxes per.

Why don't you just let it go rebel? They are less likely to field decent units.