Squalor - It's just not fun.

[Northstar1989]

You can build every single building, but in the end you must let them revolt.

This is simply NOT true.

Squalor is capped at 16 points (80%, each point is 5%). So you only need 10 points of public order buildings (settlements won't revolt until they hit 65% public order) if all you're dealing with is Squalor, plus more for Unrest, Religious Unrest, and Distance to Capital.

Every faction in the game is guaranteed 5 points of PO from inns (or the Muslim equivalents), 3 from churches, 3 from barracks, 4 from city halls, and 3 from walls. Plus, many factions have extra culture-unique buildings that give extra Public Order: like Bullfighting rings, Racetracks, Art Galleries, and Aqueducts. And Governor traits should be adding a little extra PO on top of all that, unless your Governor is incompetent.

If you really can't keep your largest cities happy enough not to revolt on Low Taxes (gives 6 extra points of Public Order) then you need to gift your most unruly settlements to other factions with different unique buildings for a while, and let them build those before retaking them.

A racetrack is among the most useful, be it lets you hold Monthly Races for a flat 400 florins/month, and daily Races for 800/month, qhich give 4 or 6 points of Publuc Order, respectively. If your Huge Cities aren't producing enough extra Tax income to pay for this with their extra population, you are seriously mis-managing your empire...

A note: centralizing your Capital not only reduces Distance to Capital, it also reduces Corruption (each point of Corruption steals a flat % of settlement income). Note also that Law points not only increase Public Order: they reduce Corruption as well- a little known fact that was also true in Rome: Total War (and made the Scipii by far the best faction in the game for managing a far-flung empire of huge cities...)

With a central capital and not neglecting to build all the Happiness and Law buildings, Public Order should always be at least manageable at Low Taxes: unless you neglected to convert the local population to your religion and are suffering from religious unrest, or enemy spies are causing Unrest in your cities (place spies of your own in cities where you suspect this to perform counter-espoinage...)

And again, if it's not manageable, then you can always gift the city to a Muslim faction for a while, so they can build Hospitals and Race Tracks. With Low Taxes, Daily Races, a central Capital (you can move your Capital through the Settlement Details screen), good counter-intelligence, and a population that follows your religion, no city should ever rebel on you...

By the way, city size caps at 360,000 people. Considering Constantinople, like Rome before it, may have had over 1 million people at its peak (in the 6th century), and there is no reason the Byzantines couldn't theoretically restore it to its former glory with a robust trade network and new Aqueducts; this is too low for my tastes. Does anyone know how I can go about editing it upwards: say to 1,500,000 people?

[SeanGrey]

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

[Nikita2]

It could be a late game breaker. You can build every single building, but in the end you must let them revolt. You cant raise troops to lower the population. Squalor will always outgrow your best anti-squalor buildings. It's just not fun. I realize it's pretty much a population cap for the game, but give me a check box to stagnate population growth sheesh.

It sounds like you're facing a challenging situation with population growth and squalor in a Total War game. While each Total War title may have slightly different mechanics, managing public order, population growth, and squalor is a common aspect of the series.

Here are some general tips that might help you address the issue:
Public Order Buildings: Ensure you have buildings in your provinces that boost public order. These can include temples, law buildings, and other structures that help maintain order.
Governor Traits and Skills: Assign governors to provinces who have traits and skills that improve public order. Some generals come with traits that can benefit public order in their assigned region.
Agent Actions: Use agents (such as priests or champions) to perform actions that reduce unrest or improve public order. They can hinder enemy agents that might be causing trouble in your provinces.
Population Control Edicts: In some Total War games, you can issue edicts or policies that affect population growth. Check if there are any available edicts that allow you to control population growth or improve public order.
Rebel Farming: Sometimes, deliberately allowing rebels to spawn and defeating them can help reduce the population. Be cautious with this approach, as it can have negative consequences as well.

If you provide more details about the specific Total War game you're playing, I might be able to offer more targeted advice based on the mechanics of that particular title. Additionally, checking community forums or guides for the specific game can provide valuable insights and strategies from experienced players.