Imagine

I went to Paris once during a day when part of the city was closed to cars. What I remember wasn’t the bikes or the people. It was hearing birds. In Paris. I’d like cities where hearing a bird isn’t a special event. Anonymous, 44, France

I’d love it if every street had one big dinner once a week. Nothing fancy. Someone makes pasta. Someone brings bread. Kids run around. You don’t need to be friends with everyone. You just need to know their names. 62, Italy

I don’t want flying cars. I want fewer fucking cars. 19, Netherlands

Why does every house in my street own a drill? I use mine maybe twice a year. Same with ladders, pressure washers, camping stuff, trailers. I’d make a little shed at the end of every street full of all the things you occasionally need. Also somebody there who knows how to use them because I […]

I would make it normal to say: “I’ve finished everything I need to do today so I’m going home.” That’s it. That’s my utopia. Office worker, 31

My mum is 78 and lives alone in a four-bedroom house because the alternatives are basically apartment by herself or retirement village. She doesn’t need aged care. She needs people around. I’d build tiny houses around shared gardens with old people and young people and families all mixed together. And a big table. She’d hate […]

Every nature strip should have fruit trees. I don’t know if this is practical. There are probably rats and council rules and people will email me about fallen lemons. I don’t care. Free lemons everywhere. 51, Australia

School should start later for teenagers. Everyone knows teenagers need more sleep and then we make them get up at 6.30. This seems like something aliens would find very confusing. 16, USA

When something breaks I want to take it to a person who fixes it. Not Google the model number, discover the part isn’t sold, watch seven YouTube videos, give up and buy another one. There used to be people who fixed things. Let’s have those people again. Dad, 48

I’d just like my kids to disappear for a bit Not disappear disappear. I mean I wish they could leave the house after breakfast and roam around like we did and I didn’t have to know exactly where they were every second. Ride bikes. Knock on doors. Go to the park. Come back when they’re […]

What if Friday was just… optional? Not for nurses and hospo and people who actually need to be somewhere obviously. But for office jobs. We have invented so much technology that supposedly saves us time and somehow we still work five days. Where did the saved time go? 27, Ireland

There’s a shop near me that’s been empty for maybe four years. FOUR YEARS. I would make a rule that after a year anyone can use an empty shop until the owner finds a tenant. Pop-up library. Kids’ stuff. Bands. Pottery. Whatever. An empty building shouldn’t be more valuable than people doing things in it. […]

I think I’d like us to get better at doing nothing. Not monetising hobbies. Not tracking steps. Not listening to podcasts at 1.5 speed while cooking. Sit on a chair. Look out the window. Maybe that’s what I’d change. 34, Australia