List of improvements in Civ5

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Tile improvements are buildings or installations constructed in terrain outside of cities, generally by Workers. Each improvement changes the properties of the tile where it's built, usually adding potential such as tile yields to it. Improvements are unlocked via certain technologies.

Improvements built on certain strategic and luxury resources are required for an empire to access the resources' special properties.

Mechanics

With the exception of Great Tile Improvements, most improvements can be built by a Worker (or a Work Boat at sea), given the appropriate technology and provided that the tile meets the requirements. Improvements remove forests and jungles unless otherwise specified (notably the Trading Post and Camp). Building with a Worker requires several turns, while the Work Boat finishes the improvement instantaneously.

Improvements are susceptible to pillaging by enemies, including Barbarians. When any improvement is pillaged, it will be inactive until repaired by a Worker (including Great Tile Improvements).

Improvement yields, (which includes both relevant increases depending on the resource, as well as bonuses from appropriate technologies such as Fertilizer), will be added to the base terrain yield combined with increased yields from the resource itself(yields provided "when worked by a city").

There are some improvements only available to certain civilizations. And finally, there are certain improvements that can only be built by using Great People. This article lists all improvements in Civilization V. 

Standard Improvements

These improvements can be built by a worker anywhere there is appropriate terrain. Some may also connect resources.

Tile improvements	Built on	Effect
Farm	Plains, Grassland, Desert Hill and Tundra with fresh water Bonuses: Wheat	+1 Food +1 Food with Civil Service (fresh water) +1 Food with Fertilizer (non-fresh water)
Fort	Plains, Grassland, Hill, Desert, Tundra, Snow	+50% Defense
Lumber mill	Forest	+1 Production +1 Production with Scientific Theory Does not remove Forest
Mine	Hill Strategics: Iron, Coal, Aluminum, Uranium Luxuries: Gold, Silver, Copper, Gems, Salt	+1 Production +1 Food on Salt +1 Production with Chemistry +1 Production on Coal Coal, Aluminum Aluminum, Uranium Uranium
Trading post	Plains, Grassland, Hill, Desert, Tundra	+1 Gold +1 Gold with Economics +1 Gold with Commerce policy finisher +1 Science with Free Thought policy Does not remove Forest or Jungle

Transportation Improvements

These improvements can be built on any passable land tile, including outside your own territory. They can be built alongside any other improvement, and do not remove forests or jungles.

Tile improvements	Effect
Roads	-1 Gold upkeep per turn x2 movement speed (x3 with Machinery) +1.25 Gold per city population for a city connected to the Capital
Railroads	-2 Gold upkeep per turn x3 movement speed to a minimum of 10 +25% Production bonus for a city connected to the Capital

Resource Improvements

These improvements can only be built on an appropriate resource. Both luxury and strategic resources will be connected. Mine excepted, these improvements are the only way to connect Luxuries.

Tile improvements	Built on	Effect
Camp	Bonuses: Deer, Bison Luxuries: Furs, Truffles, Ivory	+1 Gold on Luxuries +1 Production on Deer, Bison +1 Gold with Economics Does not remove Forest
Fishing boats	Bonuses: Fish Luxuries: Whales, Crabs, Pearls	+1 Food on Fish, Whales, Crabs +1 Gold on Pearls +1 Gold with Compass
Offshore platform  Oil well	Strategics: Oil	+3  Production
Pasture	Bonuses: Sheep, Cattle Strategics: Horses	+1 Production on Horses, Cattle +1 Food on Sheep +1 Food with Fertilizer
Plantation	Bonuses: Bananas Luxuries: Incense, Wine, Cotton, Dyes, Sugar, Spices, Silk, Citrus, Cocoa	+1 Gold on Luxuries +2 Food, -1 Production on Bananas (must remove Jungle) +1 Food with Fertilizer
Quarry	Bonuses: Stone Luxuries: Marble	+1 Production +1 Production with Chemistry

Great Tile Improvements

These improvements are built by Great People, with the exception of the Landmark in Brave New World. All great tile improvements can be built on any passable land terrain type. With regards to resources, they will only connect any strategic resources on the tile. However, they do not get additional bonuses from technology, nor the type of strategic resource. They do not have any effect on luxuries nor bonus resources.

Great tile improvements	Built by	Effect
Academy	Great Scientist	+8 Science +2 Science with Scientific Theory +2 Science with Atomic Theory
Citadel	Great General	+100% Defense Damages all enemy units that end their turn adjacent 33% of their Health Annexes all nearby tiles into your empire's territory when built (must be constructed on a tile in or bordering your own territory)
Customs house	Great Merchant	+4 Gold +1 Gold with Economics
Holy site	Great Prophet	+6 Faith +3 Gold with Theocracy +3 Culture with Piety finisher
Landmark	Great Artist (vanilla and ) Archaeologist ()	+6 Culture (vanilla and ) +1 Culture for each Era of age of the Archaeological site ()
Manufactory	Great Engineer	+4 Production +1 Production with Chemistry

Added in the Gods & Kings expansion pack.

Template:BraveNewWorldonly

Unique Tile Improvements

These improvements are only available to certain civilizations, but do not replace a generic one. Unique Improvements are not used to connect any resources (for example, a Brazilwood Camp may not be placed on Bananas).

Unique tile improvements	Unique to	Built on	Effect
Brazilwood camp	Brazil	Jungle	Does not remove Jungle +2 Gold +2 Culture with Acoustics
Chateau	France	Next to a Luxury, but not next to another Chateau	+1 Gold +2 Culture +50% Defense +2 Gold and +1 Culture with Flight
Feitoria	Portugal	City-State coastal territory (No Resource on the tile)	1 copy of each of the City-State's Luxuries +50% Defense Pillaging counts as an act of war
Kasbah	Morocco	Desert	+1 Food +1 Production +1 Gold +50% Defense
Moai	Polynesia	Coastal territory	+1 Culture +1 Culture per adjacent Moai +1 Gold with Flight
Polder	Netherlands	Marsh, Flood Plains	+3 Food +1 Production and +2 Gold with Economics
Terrace farm	Inca	Hill	+1 Food +1 Food per adjacent Mountain +1 Food with Civil Service (on fresh water tiles) +1 Food with Fertilizer (on non-fresh water tiles)

Civilization V [edit]
Gods & Kings • Brave New World
Lists Buildings Civilizations Unique abilities Improvements Leaders Promotions Resources Social policies Technologies Terrain Units Unique units Wonders Natural wonders
Eras Ancient Classical Medieval Renaissance Industrial Modern Future† Atomic‡ Information‡
Concepts City-State Culture Espionage‡ Food Gold Great People Happiness Natural wonder Production Religion‡ Science Unique ability Unit Unique unit Tourism‡ Victory Cultural Diplomatic Domination Science
Miscellaneous DLC Mathematics Modding Major Patches Scenarios Soundtrack Steam Achievements
† Only in vanilla Civ5 ‡ Only in Gods & Kings and Brave New World