Rebuilding of Monitava

File:View from St Paul's Cathedral after the Blitz.jpg

Monitava in 1943, three years after the Battle of Monitava which destroyed much of the city.

The Second World War took a disastrous toll on the then second-largest city in Kathia, Monitava. Its importance as a naval base and large population center, as well as its proximity to Achysia meant it saw fierce fighting in the early stages of the war. During much of the war, little effort was made to rebuild the city by the occupation forces and the puppet Government in Corava. Only the docks and naval base were repaired, and even then not fully as Achysian resources were directed elsewhere and the Kathic State was not allowed to have a large military force.

However, as early as 1944, the Provisional Government of the Kathic Kingdom drew up plans to rebuild the city. Architects and experts were brought in from around the world to design a new plan for the city in June 1945 as the war in Aurora was coming to a close, with a collaboration between Theyic Bourdal, Illic Fourdan, and Thalon Neysith being selected in January 1946. Reconstruction efforts began a few weeks later, and would continue for around two decades as the city was transformed into a modern post-war city that would eventually become the largest city in Kathia by 1980.

The city was rebuilt with a grid system. While the original road system was more grid-like compared to the rest of Kathia, the original lack of regulation meant that the roads were built much like the old street systems in older cities in Aurora. The city became much less densely populated than many Kathic cities, mainly due to the large-scale road projects, notably the first major highway system in Aurora which opened in 1955, as well as the flat plain the city was settled on allowed for large-scale single family home developments to be built in the suburbs. The downtown area was rebuilt with modern skyscrapers, and Monitava today contains the largest congregation of skyscrapers than any other Auroran city, as well as some of the tallest in Kathia and Aurora.

Public transport before the war was mainly done through the use of streetcars, however city officials deemed them unsuited for the large population and opted for a subway system instead. The first line was completed in 1953, and 8 more lines have subsequently been completed since, with the last one opening in 2018.

The overall rebuilding effort took about 30 years to complete, with the construction of the Imperial Center largely seen as the unofficial end.