Public Works Projects (known by players as both projects and PWPs) are a feature in New Leaf and a continuation of the Town Decoration feature in Animal Forest e+. They are one of the player's responsibilities as Mayor in their town, along with enacting Town Ordinances. These projects allow the Mayor to customize their Town by adding new buildings, upgrading existing buildings, or by placing landmarks and features around the town or on Main Street. Several Public Works Projects initially appeared as Town Decorations in Animal Forest e+.
Public Works Projects become available after the Mayor achieves 100% approval from the town's citizens. Public Works Projects are similar to Community Projects seen in Animal Forest and Animal Forest e+, as well as Town Fund projects in City Folk which allowed the player to add new features such as the Windmill, Lighthouse, Water Fountain, and a new Bridge, but many more options are available in New Leaf.
Each town can feature 30 projects at maximum, and only one project can be under construction at any given time. Lloid is in charge of taking donations for projects, and will stay onsite of the project 24/7 until it is complete. Villagers in the town may donate small amounts each day, but the majority of the funding will have to come from a player or it will take a long time to complete. Once the project is funded, it will be fully constructed the next day at 6 AM. If the Mayor player chooses to participate, Isabelle will host a completion ceremony with up to four villagers present to commemorate the completed project.
Projects can be canceled while under construction; discontinuing a project forfeits any donations put toward it up to that point. Upon the cancellation of a project, no further projects can be commissioned that same day.
Demolishing a finished project requires paying a fee of 10% of the project's original cost. Projects can be demolished on the same day another is being commissioned as long as the demolition is requested after the other project is commissioned, and the player hasn't already fully funded the ongoing construction. If the demolition is requested first, the construction of new projects will be unavailable for that day. A fully funded project cannot be canceled or demolished, though it can be demolished the following day.
A trick can be used to instantly remove one (or several) of any removable projects, without paying the fee. This is done by creating a new player character and building their house inside a project's no-build zone, or directly on top of it. Demolishing the house afterward will remove the project. This will, however, also remove any plants, patterns, flowers, and grass in that spot.
On event days, when Isabelle closes the Town Hall, no actions can be taken regarding Public Works. If a work is completed on an event day, the opening celebration will occur the following day. For events ending at midnight, the player may be able to access Town Hall between midnight and 6 AM.
Much like houses, town projects cannot be built next to water edges (with the exception of bridges, which require them to be placed on rivers), cliff edges, rocks, and buildings. Each project is also surrounded by a 1-tile buffer zone that prevents them from being built too close to each other or other buildings. This buffer zone cannot overlap, meaning that there must be at least two empty tiles between any two PWP. Projects with doors also have an additional row of buffer tiles to accommodate the entrance, with an extra tile beyond the door where patterns cannot be placed. This makes placement around projects such as the police station tricky, as the building appears to have a 3-tile buffer stretching downwards.
Main Street and permanent town projects are requested by special characters such as Isabelle and Blathers. Main Street projects do not have a model in the Public Works Projects list. They instead appear as a rotating question mark, and cannot be demolished once completed. Lloid will take donations from inside the Train Station rather than the location where the project would be built. The celebration will also take place in front of the Train Station, with the building's inhabitant as a guest.
While a few basic projects are available from the beginning, most must be requested by villagers from one's own town before they appear on Isabelle's list. Talking to villagers repeatedly will not trigger a public works request; rather, a villager must give off the "surprised" expression and approach the player in order to trigger the possibility of a request. As far as is known, public works requested in this way occur randomly, though anecdotal evidence suggests that requests can come in "spurts", i.e., it is possible for a player to receive few or no requests for several weeks and then receive requests on a daily basis without having made any major changes to the town.
In addition to potential interaction utility, all public works projects affect the town's status. This effect is not standardized between different PWPs, as some of them give a tremendous boost towards the perfect town status, while others make it notably more difficult to attain. As a general rule, most basic decorations and utility public works projects, such as benches, lights and bridges, affect the town's status positively, but by a minor amount. Nature-related and eco-friendly projects, such as the wind turbine and flower clock, are best for raising the town's status quickly. Projects that could be considered harmful to the environment or otherwise a disturbance will generally affect the town's status negatively.
Caution: Once these buildings are fully constructed, the location is permanent and cannot be demolished.
Size: 5x5 (including door)
The Café costs 298,000 Bells. It is requested as a project by Blathers one week after the Museum's second floor has been built if the player has donated at least 50 items to the Museum and at least one donation in each category of the Museum. After one week, Blathers can be seen thinking. Upon talking to him, Blathers will tell the player about the Café and it will be unlocked as a public work project.
The Campsite costs 59,800 Bells to build and is available from the beginning. It allows a non-resident villager to visit occasionally, and the player can interact with the visitor by playing mini-games. If the town has fewer than ten villagers, a camper can be convinced to move in. This project cannot be demolished, so choose its location carefully.
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| Campsite |
Club LOL is a Main Street upgrade and available in the Public Works Projects list only if the town's Mayor declined Dr. Shrunk's original offer to build a club in the town. Unlike other Public Works Projects, Club LOL does not require a specific amount of Bells to be donated in order for construction to begin. Instead, the player is given a clipboard and asked to collect signatures from six villagers. Once the clipboard is returned, Club LOL will open on Main Street between the Dream Suite and Nook's Homes five days later.
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| Club LOL |
The Dream Suite is a Main Street upgrade and costs 234,000 Bells. It is the originally boarded-up shop with stone columns located to the left of Club LOL and Nook's Homes. It is run by Luna, and is available one week after the first Project has been completed. The player must also have connected online at least once and has found Isabelle sleeping in the Town Hall. Upon talking to Isabelle, she will mention that a visitor has suggested building the Suite in Main Street. After this conversation, the player will find the Dream Suite project in the project list.
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| Dream Suite |
The Fortune Teller Shop is a Main Street upgrade and costs 340,000 Bells. It is available once Katrina has given a total of 20 fortunes to any resident player of the town. Having a character's fortune told by Katrina in another town will count towards unlocking this Public Works Project in their home town. The completed shop occupies the building between the Dream Suite's site and Photo Booth.
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| Fortune Teller Shop |
The Museum Renovation is a Main Street upgrade and costs 198,000 Bells. It is requested by Blathers once the player has spoken to him on 14 different days and donated at least 20 items, with at least one item in each of the four exhibit categories (fish, insects, fossils, and art).
The renovation opens up a second floor in the Museum that features a gift shop which sells several Silver Tools (if the player has donated enough items in the related category) and various museum-related items, a locker, and four 8 by 8 exhibit rooms run by Celeste which cost 10,000 Bells each to open. The player may use these rooms to display their own exhibits. More info can be found at Museum Shop and Exhibition Rooms.
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| Museum Renovation |
The Police Station costs 264,000 Bells and is requested by any villager type. There are two designs for the Police Station, but only one can be chosen for the town. It serves as a lost and found center, where the player can consult the officer inside for reports regarding current town visitors.
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| Modern Police Station: Officer Copper | Classic Police Station: Officer Booker |
The Reset Center costs 368,000 Bells and is available once the player has first quit the game without saving. Upon completion, it will appear as a manhole that will remain closed on most days, but allows the player to visit the Reset Surveillance Center, where Resetti and his brother Don can be found. It will also unlock Resetti's rants when the player loads the game after quitting without saving. Unlike other projects, the Reset Center does not hold a standardized project completion ceremony once it has been built and will not be counted as one of the 30 public work projects.
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| Reset Center |
The player may choose to remodel existing buildings to change their exterior designs. All of these cost 498,000 Bells each.
The Town Hall can be remodeled into 3 other styles once the player has achieved a perfect town rating.
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| Default | Zen | Fairy-Tale | Modern |
The Train Station can be remodeled into 3 other styles once the player has been visited at least 100 times. The visitors do not all have to be different people; in fact, this project can be unlocked by having the same person visit 100 times. After this, the player must talk to Porter.
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| Default | Zen | Fairy-Tale | Modern |
These projects provide a variety of useful functions that encourage socializing, or further enhance the town. Projects with multiple designs cannot be remodeled; instead, they must be demolished and rebuilt in order to switch to another style.
There are three different types that can be built, and the player can rest on them.
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| Camping Cot | Outdoor Chair | Hammock |
There are two kinds that cost 86,000 Bells each. The player can ring the bell by pressing A.
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| Bell | Zen Bell |
The bench allows villagers and players to sit down around the town. If a villager is sitting on a bench, the player can sit down next to them and have a conversation. However, if two villagers are occupying the bench, the player will not be able to join them, but can still have a conversation with them.
| Yellow Bench | Blue Bench | Wood Bench | Metal Bench | Fairy-Tale Bench |
| Zen Bench | Modern Bench |
There are 7 official bench designs, as well as a few community projects that can be sat on.
Other projects that can be constructed and allow the player to sit on them also include the following:
| Log Bench | Picnic Blanket | Tire Toy | Pile of Pipes | Chair Sculpture |
Size: 2x4 / 4x2
There are 6 different bridge designs that can be placed in the player's town. There can only be 3 bridges present at any given time. When 3 bridges are present, villagers will not request new types. Bridges cannot be built over the pond or on the beach.
| Cobblestone Bridge | Suspension Bridge | Brick Bridge | Modern Bridge | Fairy-Tale Bridge | Wooden Bridge |
Costs 136,000 Bells and is requested by Sisterly villagers. The light will occasionally attract moths.
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| Bus Stop |
Size: 1x1 or 3x3 depending on type
There are six different types of clocks that can be built. The clocks tell the time that is set in the town.
| Park Clock | Zen Clock | Fairy-Tale Clock | Modern Clock | Flower Clock | Illuminated Clock |
Costs 39,800 Bells and is requested by Normal villagers. Water will dispense if the player interacts with it.
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| Drinking Fountain |
Costs 49,800 Bells and is available from the beginning. The player can interact with the ground inside the fence just like regular ground: plant flowers or place designs or items in it.
Costs 32,600 Bells and is available from the beginning.
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| Fire Hydrant |
Costs 99,800 Bells to build and is available from the beginning. It is different from the City Folk version available as a Town Fund project as it does not contain Serena.
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| Fountain |
Costs 53,000 Bells and is available once a Normal villager suggests it. Items can be disposed of here for free instead of paying a disposal fee at Re-Tail. This particular project is considered unsightly and may result in more difficulty in achieving and maintaining perfect town status.
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| Garbage Can |
Costs 42,000 Bells and is requested by Jock villagers. It can be checked to see what today's weather will be in the next hour.
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| Instrument Shelter |
Up to eight signs may be displayed at a time.
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| Do-Not-Enter Sign | Caution Sign | Yield Sign |
Turns on at night and emits light, which attracts moths.
| Street Lamp | Round Streetlight | Streetlight | Fairy-Tale Streetlight | Modern Streetlight | Zen Streetlight |
Costs 82,000 Bells and is requested by Jock villagers.
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| Traffic Signal |
Costs 148,000 Bells to build and is available from the beginning.
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| Water well |
These buildings are decorative to further customize the player's town. They have no interactive elements.
There are three types that can be suggested by villagers.
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| Balloon Arch | Flower Arch | Illuminated Arch |
Costs 265,000 Bells and is requested by Peppy villagers.
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| Archway Sculpture |
Costs 265,000 Bells and is requested by Smug villagers.
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| Cube Sculpture |
Costs 40,000 Bells and is available from the beginning; a maximum of 10 can be built. Once constructed, the default design for the Custom-Design Sign will feature an icon of an orange-colored pencil. This can be changed to any custom design except Pro Designs.
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| Custom-Design Sign |
Costs 50,000 Bells and is available from the beginning; a maximum of 8 can be built.
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| Face-Cutout Standee |
Costs 46,000 Bells and is requested by Jock villagers. The light from the fire attracts moths.
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| Fire Pit |
Costs 26,400 Bells and is requested by Normal villagers. It can be walked on and only 4 flowers can be planted on it.
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| Flower Bed |
Costs 98,000 Bells and is requested by Snooty villagers.
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| Hot Spring |
Costs 136,000 Bells and is requested by Peppy villagers.
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| Illuminated Heart |
Costs 128,000 Bells and is requested by Peppy villagers.
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| Illuminated Tree |
Costs 69,800 Bells and is requested by Lazy villagers. It can be interacted with to make it spin.
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| Jungle Gym |
Costs 17,400 Bells and is requested by Cranky villagers.
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| Rack of Rice |
Costs 36,000 Bells and is requested by Lazy villagers.
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| Sandbox |
Costs 22,400 Bells and is requested by Sisterly villagers.
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| Scarecrow |
Costs 236,000 Bells and is requested by Jock villagers.
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| Stadium Light |
Costs 88,000 Bells and is requested by Snooty villagers.
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| Statue Fountain |
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| Circle Topiary | Square Topiary | Tulip Topiary |
There are three kinds that cost 93,000 Bells each. They are available to build if there are no weeds by 6 AM on Weeding Day.
Costs 29,800 Bells and is requested by Jock villagers.
Costs 248,000 Bells and is requested by Jock villagers.
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| Video Screen |
Costs 42,000 Bells and is requested by Lazy villagers.
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| Water Pump |
Costs 124,000 Bells and is requested by Sisterly villagers.
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| Wisteria Trellis |
Costs 148,000 Bells and is requested by Cranky villagers.
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| Zen Garden |
Same as Public Art, but more exotic and expensive.
Costs 298,000 Bells and is requested by Cranky villagers. This particular project is considered unsightly and may result in more difficulty in achieving and maintaining perfect town status.
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| Drilling Rig |
Costs 98,000 Bells and is requested by Sisterly villagers. Water will erupt from the site for a few seconds when a minute has passed.
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| Geyser |
Costs 372,000 Bells and is requested by any villager type. It can only be placed on land, not on the beach, and only one can be present at any given time.
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| Lighthouse |
Costs 538,000 Bells and is requested by Smug villagers.
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| Moai Statue |
Costs 148,000 Bells and is requested by Smug villagers.
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| Parabolic Antenna |
Costs 698,000 Bells and is requested by Smug villagers.
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| Pyramid |
Costs 126,000 Bells and is requested by Jock villagers. This particular project makes it notably easier to achieve and maintain perfect town status.
| Solar Panels |
Costs 698,000 Bells and is requested by Smug villagers.
| Sphinx |
Costs 39,800 Bells and is requested by any villager type. Only one can be present in the town at any given time.
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| Stone Tablet |
Costs 698,000 Bells and is requested by Smug villagers.
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| Stonehenge |
Costs 538,000 Bells and is requested by Smug villagers.
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| Totem Pole |
Costs 726,000 Bells and is requested by Snooty villagers. It resembles Tokyo Tower.
Costs 372,000 Bells and is requested by Sisterly villagers.
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| Windmill |
Costs 156,000 Bells and is requested by any villager type. Only one can be present at any given time. This particular project makes it notably easier to achieve and maintain perfect town status.
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| Wind Turbine |
