Yeah honestly it's like they remove the grid and to make the process convoluted as a way to extend the time required to plan to feel like content.. when instead it's just a fucking waste of time having to lay out roads to space shit out etc
I'm pretty sure they do it because it's nice not to be limited to a grid... the only problems are that the geometry tools need to be more sophisticated to deal with the flexibility, and the buildings need to include some that are designed to take advantage of irregular (trapezoidal, triangular, L-shaped, etc.) lots.
There needs to be a snap-to-grid option alongside a free draw option. They can certainly implement both.
It would be so nice just to choose a zone type with an inner road type, then lay a quick grid down, instead of having to lay each piece of road and designate each side section.
That's a feature that was around in some of the very early Sim Cities.
I really love Urbek, although it's not as complex as cs. It focuses more on supply chains, the traffic management is completely nonexistent which makes it pretty easy but good for casual gaming in the evening.