I'll go into more detail here.
What I prefer doing is using RHW to link my small towns spattered across the region together. Sometimes they get moderate traffic, often none at all. Usually I drown the region in forests, as to add a scenic touch to it.
I'll usually build very large suburbs before I build downtown, as to ensure the time has come to actually be ready to get downtown highrises, stage 5, 6, 7, and 8 skyscrapers. I [refer low-sitting skylines as well.
I also like to use river and coastal maps. River maps are moderately sized rivers that add for beauty, communications, transportation, (and then just a place for the people living in 200 BC to do their washing )
Another thing too is, I can spend a long time working out several different problems with cities. Some of the ways I do this is the scientific method, using MySims on a rare occasion. I don't listen to advisors considering they get way too pesky and angry, they try to run you. I ignore them, and its so wonderful!
Before I begin to build I prepare first. I clear out a spot in the forest, if there are neighbor connections, drag my roads to that spot, lay out the streets, then put down the essential buildings such as the water tower and power plant. Then I begin zoning. Once my zones are filled up, I add more and more until I am satisfied, then place a school, or clinic in, upgrade the transit networks if anything. Once I see it is good, I go on to the next tile. Then later on I will always often go back to that other tile, and do other things too it, like say for example if there is a lot of traffic congestion, fix it, or if I have the conditions set up for a neighbor deal, and don't know why it won't work, I wind up going into the next tile and setting it up manually. Sometimes it will take weeks before I successfully make every last thing pleasant in that said tile, and even then, sometimes 2 or 3 months later, (often with a new set of plugins) go back in there and apply those new plugins, and then sometimes I trip on even more issues. I can complete a city tile, fact of the matter is, 90% of the time, there is something that needs to be done to said tile. Never stop till you know for sure it is perfect.
I am also a fan of neighbor connections and inter-region transportation and all that. My towns always flourish that way. However I have to have things set up in that said tile and the other tile before it will be a success. Inter-region transportation is a lot of hard work, but I enjoy it. And the same with this, never stop, till it is perfect.