Notable changes from 2000 to 3000 were the introduction of waste management, better management of the power and water grids, the addition of farms, much larger maps, and a news ticker for status updates to replace the old popup-style newspaper (which many people were unable to close when SC2K was on the fastest speed setting). However, SC3K removed the ability to construct arcologies, but some feel that the huge buildings were only included because of SC2K's small map size, which prevented too many people from inhabiting a city at once.
Real-world landmarks were also introduced for the first time in SC3K, but were strictly for aesthetic purposes only. Landmarks in the game include the CN Tower, Notre Dame, the Bank of China Tower, and the Empire State Building.
Like Simcity 2000's Sim City Urban Renewal Kit (SCURK) tool, Simcity 3000 had its own building modifier called BAT (Building Architect Tool). However, BAT was based on the idea of building blocks (not unlike LEGO bricks). Because of the negative reactions on the limited possibilities with SCURK, BAT2 (Building Architect Plus) was introduced with the ability to add custom-made props.
Despite the huge amount of buildings and artists involved with BAT, it hasn't gained the cult-status SCURK has. Another possible reason is that BAT didn't allow people to create and edit cities by placing buildings free-of-charge, unlike SCURK's city editor, thus lessening BAT's appeal.