Game turned out to be trash. Don't waste your time with it.
The zoning sucks (even though there really isnt any zoning), the mechanics of the game are tedious (like placing individual businesses down over and over again) , the maps are even smaller than Sim City 3 ( I find even 300,000 residents on a Sim City map to be unrealistic), there is no depth in this game especially compared to sim city, no real control over the city....
Basically I would wait for the next Sim City. You'll get bored with City Life with-in 24 hours.