I like the game mechanics, I like the group character creation, and I like GMing it, but I don't like group city creation. I don't mind, at all, people making up locations on the fly. I don't mind players creating objects and NPC's on the fly. I just found the city group creation process un-fun, and it resulted in something I had difficulty running with. There's nothing WRONG with the mechanics, I just don't like them.
So, given the above, and the fact that you can't just change your preferences, is there an alternative to the group city creation method? Could a GM just create a few of the bits (some locations, a big trouble, etc.), let the players each create a location or two, and then just grow the city as you go? I just made that up, but I'd appreciate anyone who has come up with an alternative mechanism.