I’m itching to play something like Cities Skylines, but also something that isn’t just about growing and growing, rather building within certain (spatial?) limitations and/or solving problems or something. I hope this isn’t a contradiction, but I’d also like if it had a bit more focus on individual buildings and livability rather than optimizing car traffic, if that makes any sense. I guess i’m looking for something that is a bit more than just a city sculpting sandbox, but less than a full blown metropolis-society-simulator.
You may want to give an Anno game a try. Best recent one is Anno 1800, but Anno 2070, 1404 and 2205 are great as well. In these you manage population levels, needs and logistical chains instead of traffic.
Or maybe look into more survivaly city builders like Kingdoms&Castles, Nova Roma, Farthest Frontier or Banished.
If you want more puzzle than city builder then there’s Terrascape or Dorfromantik.
Finally, you may enjoy Railgrade or Train Valley 2 - these are not city builders, but tycoon games with a mission structure, strict confines and puzzle mechanics.
Edit: Oh and forgot Ixion. Absolutely superb story based scifi space station builder. Really really nails the vibe.