Determine the scale of your map. The best option for a simple city map is 1:10,000, meaning that every mile in real life, or the imaginary city in this case, equals to 6.3 inches on the map.
Design the roads throughout the city map and give them imaginary names. Include wide boulevards, two-way streets and one-way alleys. Use the space between the roads to create building blocks, ponds and parks. Leave a blank 2-inch-wide strip at the bottom of the map.
Color the features of the map. Use purple for boulevards, light yellow for streets and leave the alleys white. Blocks of buildings must be orange, parks, green, and ponds or the coast, blue.
Write the name of important buildings, such as the mayor's office, the city's museum and the city's hospital over their position on the map. Include a symbol, such as a cross for the hospital and other medical facilities and an asterisk for public service buildings.
Draw a cross with the four cardinal directions on the top right of the map. On the blank strip on the bottom, include information about what the orange, blue and green colors represent. Form three small rectangles, one purple, one light yellow and one white, to help viewers distinguish between different types of roads.
Add information about what each symbol, such as the asterisk or the cross, means. Also, mention the scale of your map. Draw 6.3-inch bar to show viewers how long a mile is on the map.