Kolashek

Kolashek, formerly Veshalka, is the capital and metropolis of Sober Thought's Jarvet province with 1.8% of the national population. However, it remains overshadowed demographically, economically, socially and politically by Zalevfyerma and Nordentor in neighbouring Cholmestay. This inferiority is exacerbated by Saint-Visage-Osseux's separate incorporation as a federally chartered city.

Urban geography

As settlement expanded from its origins in SVO, successive waves of English, Slavic and other speakers emigrated here. The city spread to encompass two intersecting floodplains, which became a problem as the population and industries expanded ever closer to the river. A technological solution of sorts is a deep and wide diversion channel around the city and its conjoined twin Saint-Vissage-Osseux, which reduces the anxiety level every spring melt.

As a largely unplanned and somewhat haphazard community, roads do not usually follow a grid pattern. Instead, major or commercial streets tend to radiate from the intersection of the two rivers -- not the original settlement or actual downtown as one might expect. Minor or residential streets are slightly more regular, although these tend to join the major spokes in a manner reminiscent of a spider's web.

Furthermore, river and rail corridors interrupt the natural path of all types of roads. This is not a trivial consideration, since Kolashek is a regional transportation hub for the nation as a whole. CommunitAir, STferro and the national highway system all treat the urban area as a major destination. Within the city, an efficient system of light rail cars and motor buses serves the public transit needs of most residents.

The metropolitan area's architecture also displays the disparate styles brought by various immigrant groups. For instance, houses of worship include a stately Protestant churches, austere Evangelical temples, onion domed Orthodox churches and practical Jewish synagogues.

Likewise, the various major industries have left their mark on placenames and buildings even long after their economic importance receded. Neighbourhoods still bear the names of the original ethnic occupants and industrial activity, such as Little Russia, Polynesian Town, The Stockyards and (in SVO) Quartier des Fourreurs. Streets and buildings bear the names of captains of industry and their corporate creations.

Economy

Although Kolashek was founded on primary industries like most cities, they no longer employ any significant number of workers in the cities themselves. Trade in timber, furs and minerals have ceased; however, trade in agricultural commodities from the rest of Jarvet remain an important part of the economy even though the agricultural exchange is overshadowed by the one in Zalevfyerma.

Secondary industry is somewhat more important than primary industry. Heavy and light manufacturing, notably the production of O'Peachy intercity motor coaches and intracity buses, employ many people and create an expanding tax base for government. And like the buses, Kolashek is mainly a transportation city: it forms a regional hub for CommunitAir and other airlines, and an operating division of STferro government railway. In fact, it is the importance of transport to the city which prompted its twinning with Port Spitz in Antrium.

However, it is in services that the greatest economic activity takes place. Private sector services like retail sales, insurance, finance and real estate serve not only the twin cities but also the province as a whole. Similarly, all three levels of government employ people in public sector services like safety, state-sponsored education, public media and administration.

Municipal government

The metropolitan area has undergone several changes in organisation over the years. Starting with the single settlement at SVO, the area became peppered with many small ethnically based towns without any central planning capability. First these towns were federated under the name Veshalka, then the federation was converted to a unitary municipality, then francophones seceded under the old name of Saint-Visage-Osseux.

Currently, the Kolashek Unified Council consists of a mayor and five controllers elected at large, plus 20 neighbourhood representatives elected in their respective wards. At large members are elected every six years and local members every three years.

The controllers must approve all financial measures, but the ward councillors may make symbolic resolutions with the permission of neither the mayor nor the controllers. In any event, the provision of municipal services like fire protection, waste management and greenspaces in both cities is rather unremarkable.

Provincial and federal government

Unlike any other capital, metropolitan or both city in all of Sober Thought, the interests of Kolashek and SVO almost always coincide with that of Jarvet as a whole. This is because the majority of the province's residents live in these twin cities and the latters' awareness that they exist mainly to serve the outlying areas. Thus, there are few municipal-provincial squabbles or resentments common to cities of similar size.

However, as a cosmopolitan city it is markedly more leftwing than its hinterland. The federal ridings of Kolashek North, Kolashek Centre and Kolashek South and are held respectively by a Liberal Democrat, a Moderate and a Socialist. An additional MHF in the city, the non-partisan Speaker, was elected by proportional representation. Besides one PR Socialist, the rural areas of the province elect righwingers from the Free Enterprise Party (Sober Thought), Conservative Party (Sober Thought) or Rural Alliance (Sober Thought).

The Jarvet Civil Guard is administered jointly by the provincial and federal governments, so officially the municipal government has no say. However, almost two thirds of the provincial CG comes from the city even all regiments are officially province-wide and none are named after Kolashek.

Similarly, the Jarvet civilian police force is theoretically the sole domain of the province and beyond the purview of Kolashek. The Jarvet Protection Ministry maintains three police sub-divisions in Kolashek. However, the close identification of the urban and provincial interests makes informal input and respect for local considerations the common practice. This is a good thing too, considering the large number of provincial police actually stationed in the twin cities and its headquarters established there.

Saint-Visage-Osseux

SVO, as it is colloquially known, uses French as its sole official language, covers only the area of original settlement and currently has 0.6% of the national population. It shares a common history and, excepting language, many traits with its larger neighbour. Thus, the twin metropoleis may be considered for most purposes as an urban agglomeration with a combined population of 2.4%.

People

The first French speaking Catholic settlers chose the area for its riparian transportation routes, an important consideration before motor, rail or air transportation. The religious influence is especially pronounced in SVO, where religion served not only the spiritual affairs of its members but also educational, social service, linguistic and artistic ones as well. Growing secularism has blunted the religious influence but many reminders still remain, such as the elaborate faux Gothic Catholic cathedral.

Saint-Visage-Osseux's economy is even more tied to services than its larger sibling. Cultural and linguistic services predominate since its service area extends to the scattered pockets of francophone minorities throughout Jarvet and Pastbeshchye. All that remains from its earlier types of economy are some pretty buildings and historic names.

Government

The Conseil municipal de Saint-Visage-Osseux operates much more like a parliamentary democracy with a dash of corporatism. There are a dozen numbered wards -- roughly equivalent to the original Catholic parishes and often bearing their names -- which return one councillor each. The presidents of the chamber of commerce, the labour council and the cultural association each serve as ‘’ex officio’’ members of the municipal council. All 15 members choose the mayor and deputy mayor -- who must be ward councillors -- by secret ballot. If a mayoral candidate receives less than a majority of votes, the least popular candidate is dropped and the process repeated until a majority is achieved.

Politically, Saint-Visage-Osseux is on the centre-left. It elects for its federal constituency a Socialist, and usually a Moderate by proportional representation. SVO’s municipal government subsidises and promotes cultural associations and individuals more than its larger neighbour. SVO commissions works, supports artists and providing public venues for arts of all kinds.

On the public security front, the Jarvet Protection Ministry maintains one police sub-division in SVO. The provincial military engineering regiment, the Jarvet Genies, derive their name from an anglicisation of the French word génie in deference to the francophone minority which is centred on Saint-Visage-Osseux. The regiment, however, recruits across the province and francophones are no more likely to be in the Genies than anglophones or allophones.