On the From What If To What Next podcast, the host would begin every episode by telling his guest(s) that they are taking a time machine to the year 2030 and asks them to report on what that future looks/tastes/smells  like – not as a utopia or dystopia, but as one that’s the result of us doing everything we could to improve it. He encourages people to be more ridiculous. 

There is a purpose to it. Imagining a positive future unlocks the possibility of having a positive future. 

I took some time to play with that question (though thinking ten years ahead instead of five) and this is my report back from the future, for now: 

When you rise in the morning, you change into clothing that is comfortable for you. Work dress codes have been abolished, with the only regulations being ones that are strictly for safety – like not wearing sandals in warehouses. It is now recognized that people are their best when they look and feel good, according to their own standards. If anyone still wears khakis and dress shirts, it is because they enjoy this look for themself. Want to wear winter hats indoors? Nobody finds this unprofessional. 

Breakfast is healthy and enjoyed leisurely. Everyone – regardless of income – has access to fresh, sustainably- and ethically-grown, organic food. For youth, there is universal free breakfast and lunch at school, though most are eating breakfast with their families because this is an option. Later, when students do have lunch, they have 45-60 minutes to do so; everyone’s time is respected. Weather permitting, students will be able to eat lunch in courtyards if they choose, with some of these designated as quiet spaces for those who need to recharge. There are other spaces for other students who want to be louder, kick a ball around, etc. For adults, nobody gets less than a full hour for lunch. Work meetings through lunch aren’t a thing. There are spaces for workers to quietly recharge if gathering in a boisterous cafeteria feels draining to them, and this is done automatically, without staff having to awkwardly ask for it. 

Getting to work or school stops being an ordeal. Nearly every child goes to neighborhood schools. It begins with a social stigma around anyone sending their children elsewhere – what ego to think their offspring are more deserving than anyone else’s?! This is helped along by prioritizing how we invest in public schools. Rather than allowing superintendents and other administrators to receive enormous salaries, that money is budgeted so that all schools have appropriate support staff. With incredibly few exceptions, there is no more need to send children elsewhere because they have an attention disorder or learning disability. This means that children are able to create stronger bonds with their classmates, spend less time commuting, and feel a sense of belonging to a place. For those exceptions, their options will also be improved. Schools for the deaf, for instance, will be more plentiful so that families won’t have to make the choice between uprooting to move closer or only visiting on major holidays. 

Commuting to school is now done by some combination of train, city bus, school bus, bicycle, scooter, or walking, depending on the location. Not an option: being dropped off by private vehicle (with exception of those rare boarding schools). With less driver turnover, public transportation staff get to know the students. Aside from the very youngest of the children, it is normal for kids to ride buses without parent/guardian chaperones because our communities are built on trust, not fear. In some neighborhoods, a few adults will facilitate group bike rides and group walks to and from school, each day of the week. Adults are there to model smart riding behaviors and assist children in learning to repair bicycles; they aren’t regarded as babysitters. This is all so completely normal that nobody bothers to take photos or video anymore, except perhaps on the child’s first day of school or when someone fixes their first flat. 

Private motorized vehicles are rarely used anymore. Private vehicles are for when someone wants to take a recreational trip way off the beaten path, or for pre-planned errands that are likely to happen once a month, if that. There was no single thing done to make this so, but rather lots of policy changes to reflect our changed values. Buyers had to pay a 50% tax on all new cars. This resulted in people keeping their existing vehicles longer and for people to demand smaller vehicles again. Turns out, nobody needed SUVs after all. This even reduced sales among the very wealthy, who were still buying, but at a decreased rate. For a vehicle to be a status symbol, it needed to be one that the owner personally built by hand. Craftsmanship, not ownership, is a point of pride. 

That intentionally steep sales tax was then funneled into improving public transit, sidewalks, and bike lanes. Additionally, all municipalities collect a 15% car tax – whether new or used – every year, with that money also going into healthy transportation options. Given all of this, most people learned that it makes more sense to simply not own a car, and to rent one a few times each year when they want to travel into the country. With more vacation time, people are skipping air travel except for international or emergency flights. 

Both adults and youth are eligible for healthy mileage reimbursement, which means walkers, cyclists, and public transit users receive financial reimbursement for their commutes to school and work; sneakers and bike tires don’t grow on trees, after all. 

It is safer to move around now that there are fewer private motorized vehicles. It’s quieter. The air smells better. The snow does not turn a disgusting shade of gray two days after a storm because of all the pollution. The norm is for people to live near where they work, so most are taking the bus, cycling, or walking. The train runs at least hourly – including in the afternoon. Service reductions on Sundays and holidays are minimal; no bus or train routes stop running on Sundays or holidays. Bus and train staff work shorter shifts, but there’s no employee shortage – many who previously worked in the trucking industry transferred into these roles. They’ve also taken in many taxi and car share drivers as the demand for boutique ride services has dropped. 

When special licenses, like the CDL, became required for people to own and operate large SUVs and pickup trucks, there was a massive drop in new sales. People rushed to sell the ones they had. Nearly all the large pickups still on the road are actually used by those employed in construction, and within that field, the hot vehicle to have is now the kei truck. It does the trick, and it’s sexy. 

With many more people walking or cycling as the norm, it is also expected that our spaces accommodate this. That looks like sidewalks wide enough to walk or roll comfortably side-by-side others. Much of the clutter has been removed from sidewalks. No more advertising inflatables. Sandwich boards are neatly arranged, careful to not interfere with those using wheelchairs or walkers. People have gotten much better about picking up after their dogs, in part because there are dog parks. Rental electric scooters get left in spaces that were formerly on-street parking for cars, so they no longer obstruct sidewalks. Snow and ice are promptly removed from walkways, or carefully salted when the ice is too stubborn; because people are walking regularly as commuters, they’re not settling for the neglect that used to happen. The annual municipal car tax pays for better plowing services, and also routine sweeping of bike lanes and sidewalks. Litter is less plentiful now, but unfortunately plastic debris left from before lingers; there are schemes for dealing with pre-existing plastic waste and these are still in trial stages. 

Although people can choose to work multiple jobs or long hours, the new standard is the four-day work week, with fewer hours in each day. 10-4 is the new 9-5, though that is just for example. Other shifts will work better for some. With less burnout, people are staying in jobs longer. The industries plagued by frequent call outs begin to see a positive change. By receiving a universal basic income, people have more opportunity to seek out professions that they enjoy. Previous investment bankers find that they get more satisfaction from re-shelving library books. Many jobs that previously allowed an upper middle class lifestyle have vanished, as climbing silly career ladders fell out of fashion. The insurance industry collapsed, freeing up enormous buildings for housing and workers for more helpful types of employment. Living modestly and sustainably is a sign that someone has made it. Someone is a success if they are smiling, not if they are working ten-hour days. 

Back at school, students are taught by staff who almost all live within five miles. This is policy, but it’s also recognized as a good. The exception is not made for administrators. That is for those teachers, like reading specialists and speech therapists, who may have been more concentrated in areas around the old special education schools. Since those have nearly all closed, even these specialists are beginning to disperse, choosing to be closer to their new schools. It’s a risk they are willing to take because now people value teaching all students, and there is no longer the worry that when there are budget cuts, special ed services are the first out the door after the arts. 

School, in general, becomes more pleasant for everyone because we stopped treating them like capitalist training centers. School is where children’s curiosity is fostered. It is where they learn how to read and how to love reading. Nobody is told that they are bad writers. Nobody is told they are bad at math. Students leave feeling and being competent. They are there to learn how to communicate, how to be citizens, how to be part of a society. Some of this learning deals with building resilience when they encounter obstacles. Real life coping skills. Because even though there have been major improvements, sometimes people have disagreements or mood swings, and they need to learn how to manage these. There are still children who would prefer to be climbing trees all day, but nobody is leaving the k-12 system traumatized and bitter. The dropout rate is next to zero. Students aren’t constantly bored by trying to memorize material simply to pass a test. Educators are teaching material with curiosity and relevance always in mind. The stories of women, trans, nonbinary, immigrants, and other historically marginalized people are told, year-round; it is understood that this is not rewriting history – it’s daylighting it. And, it’s recognized that everyone’s stories matter, and that includes those of white men . . . but instead of being lazy about it and recycling the same names as always, educators uncover lesser known individuals who have made positive contributions. 

Schools are no longer regarded as dumping grounds or free babysitters. There is care for children, true care, given by all. And that is also because children stop being treated as either status symbols or mistakes. There is strong sex education and birth control available, which means that those children in these schools were lovingly anticipated. With quality therapy available, people stop having children as a way to “fix” their own childhood or generational traumas or fill some void in their lives. Every child in those schools exists to be themselves – not to resolve some problem faced by one or both parents. 

When a child is hurt or sick at school, care is provided. A parent is notified, but this is not taken to mean that the parent needs to immediately come get them. There is the space and resources for that child to be cared for until 5 PM. If the child has to be hospitalized, this is managed with compassion and calmness. People, because they have returned to trusting one another, have stronger networks. Every student has a long list of caregivers, besides immediate family members, who could step in if needed. A side effect: because so many people have a hand in caring for children, many who would have mindlessly dove into parenthood have rethought that decision, either entirely, or chosen to delay it. 

Parents are more involved in their children’s education. This does not mean everyone rushed out to join the PTO. Each parent is expected to volunteer 20 hours per year in their children’s school system. This could mean reading to children, planting flower bulbs, chaperoning dances, helping to paint murals. There is a role for every personality and every skill set. More is expected of parents than to provide food, shelter, and clothing for their offspring. There needs to be other kinds of investments. The flip side of this is that every quarter, parents bring their children to work – not just to see what their parents do, but see what other kinds of work happens there. With the move toward a more collectivist type of parenting, those kids might instead go to an aunt’s or neighbor’s workplace too; this is not only accepted – it’s encouraged. Giving children a broader sense of what is possible for them means fewer kids simply following in their parents’ footsteps because it’s the only option they’ve known. Those who choose to remain in the family business do so only after seeing that this is the best fit for them. 

All parents receive parent education. We realized that it was a colossal mistake to only offer or require support after a parent showed overt signs of overwhelm, abuse, or neglect. Because everyone goes to these classes, there isn’t the stigma attached, nor are people showing up resentful and defensive and in a panic that their children might be taken away from them. Parents would learn about what kinds of behaviors typically emerge at different ages and stages, which would do wonders for those who expect a 5-year old to act like a 12-year old. Parents would learn how to regulate their own responses. How to set firm, but respectful and kind boundaries. How to encourage their children even if those kids have very different personalities, interests, and hobbies from the parents. They would learn that everyone learns differently and processes information differently. This parent education would be required across all income levels and initially tied to one’s tax returns: parents don’t get child tax credits without going to parenting school for five hours each year. Soon, people would recognize the value in this and begin to break cycles, or simply feel much less stress. Fewer doors would be slammed.

What helps with this is that everyone is less stressed out anyway. There is greater respect for neurodiversity, for different abilities of all kinds. The work has begun to find ways for everyone to meaningfully contribute to society. We value clean utensils. We value healthy, delicious meals prepared with safety in mind. We value maintained sidewalks and bicycle lanes. This work is not less important than any requiring advanced degrees. We connect people with opportunities that include but go well beyond bagging groceries. For those trying to break addictions, we put more energy into connecting them with jobs, not jail time. There are fewer and fewer addiction issues because of the improved therapy, the parent education, the universal basic income, the sense that our “work” should feel purposeful. 

Our grocery stores – we’ve eliminated the “supermarket” model – stopped being warehouses. Only about 15% of what’s on the shelves now are processed foods. With that extra space reclaimed, many former supermarkets have kitchen classrooms where customers can learn cooking skills. Most groceries are co-ops and food is priced on a sliding scale. Those who can pay the higher price do, because the farmers and producers have to be paid. Those who need the discount, take it. People no longer practice resource hoarding. They are still not permitted to purchase excessive amounts of anything, but almost nobody even tries to do that anymore. People feel this security. Little Free Pantries are less about filling urgent hunger needs, and more about sharing items that are not needed or wanted, like when someone forgets they already have a jar of cinnamon and purchases a new one, or they got three limes when the recipe called for two. It’s common for Share Stations to have loaves of freshly baked bread. Soup kitchens still exist, but they are community meals geared toward socializing, and people of all income levels stop by. Solidarity, not charity. 

Limits on large purchases have made a difference, too. No person owns more than one home. No person owns more than one motor vehicle. This was one area where nostalgia served well: people remembered that they were happy in a time when the norm was to own less stuff. Instead of investing in property, we invest in one another. 

What else helps with this is the move away from the nuclear family as the be all, end all. Other types of family structures are common, respected, and celebrated. Family is a home filled with grandparents, cousins, and niblings. Family is also a house where several monogamous couples live together with their respective children, sharing expenses and chores. Family is a polycule. Family is a household of unrelated, completely platonic friends. Family is, sometimes, even two married adults with their two children – adopted or biological. Romantic separations and divorces still happen, but people are increasingly better suited to handle this emotionally and financially, and there are better resources in the first place so that people are entering relationships from a healthier start. 

Our design of places reflects our shift in values. The hub-and-spoke transportation system is one that generally works and many downtowns had skyscrapers nearly vacant following the Coronavirus. Several floors in these buildings remained designated for retail and office space, while the remainder was converted to mixed income housing. Telling and showing previously marginalized people that they deserved to be in the center of the city has made a difference. Practically, those requiring working elevators get them. On another level, people know that they are not longer being warehoused in shitty far-flung places. It’s not magic, but the morale boost is palpable. 

Health care needs are met, and that includes those of eyes and teeth. How? We prioritized respect and kindness. We moved money out of the police and military budget. We made changes about salaries. People have been eating better, exercising more, and stressing less. Fewer cars on the roads means fewer car-related illnesses (asthma), injuries, and deaths. This is a huge strain removed from the healthcare system.  

Our police system is dramatically reduced. We keep a few of the best on staff, but have replaced 95% of policing with other services. A special division of therapists have walk beats. They aren’t out to arrest or restrain anyone, but walk or bike around the neighborhood to check in on anyone who seems to need assistance. This brings services to those who might have trouble reaching out. Another walk beat? What Tom Doust calls “imagination agents” who make sure that “places for our imagination are brought to life, giving people permission to play. If we have these imagination agents dotted around who give their time to allow us to say yes, and to give us that permission and help facilitate that opportunity, that would be fantastic.” This, too, is a kind of work, and we value it. Imagination is rewarded at work, school, home, and places of worship. People aren’t othered for having vision. 

Being “busy” with work and family are no longer excuses for dropping out of the community. We grant one another time because we know that we are all part of a giant network. Each municipality offers regular and repeated high quality, free-of-charge workshops that teach skills like sewing, houseplant care, vegetable gardening, cooking, and baking. People are more apt to have friend dates in these spaces than at malls or bars.  

Pubs still exist, but there is less alcohol dependency. People really will pop in for only one beer and a game of darts. Some needed to be pushed into having a healthier relationship with alcohol. Every single vehicle is outfitted (or retrofitted) with interlock ignition devices. We don’t wait until someone has shown they have an issue. If someone’s device detects high alcohol consumption on three consecutive days, they are enrolled in an alcohol awareness program, automatically. Most people are choosing not to drive now anyway, so at least they are less likely to physically harm others. 

How we celebrate and recreate has changed – in large and small ways. Large events like festivals and the Olympics have had makeovers to respect resources. We have gotten more creative, eliminating fireworks, balloons, and other single-use, environmentally-harmful things from our parties. Quiet hours are respected. Some parks are designated as quiet parks – people who want to blast their boomboxes and car stereos can do this in places where this is allowed. This recognizes that some people find joy in noise and others find joy in silence, and some want one thing some of the time but not always. Nobody takes this as a sign of disrespect. Nobody acts like one culture is superior to another for their preferences. 

That sense permeates through everything. Our libraries and bookstores contain actual, physical books. These are in a great variety, not just bestsellers. A book’s circulation record is no longer regarded as evidence that it is wanted, as it has become recognized that patrons will read books at the library rather than take them home. This happens because libraries are transforming into more comfortable spaces for people to loiter in. Libraries are no longer spread too thin; municipalities began creating and funding community centers where other needs are met. Libraries have also ceased to be targeted by those seeking to ban books. Enough libraries drafted strong policies for themselves and refused to budge an inch. Some even swung hard and began choosing the most targeted books as their picks for One Book citywide reading programs. After showing a backbone, the haters settled down and the librarians were able to simply provide books without having to make it a whole thing. 

Literacy and a love of reading has become a status symbol. It has helped that there are either brick-and-mortar or Little Free Libraries every quarter mile in population centers. Those traditional libraries are in healthy buildings. There are multiple rooms, so there is never a library where loud patrons chronically disrupt those trying to study quietly. The Little Free Libraries are increasingly creative in design, but importantly, they are kept clean and in good repair, and they are always stocked. It is expected that you will come upon one at train stations, major bus stops, outside of schools, in parks, and even outside most grocery stores. 

New books, television shows, and movies featuring queer, trans, and BIPOC characters rarely have plots where these characters have to overcome bigotry directed at them, because creators don’t need to remind readers and viewers about the past. Instead, they have really standard kinds of obstacles: getting out of their own way, developing better timing, learning to listen better, figuring out how to compromise with roommates. They’re able to basically live their lives without these parts of their identities having to feel front and center all the time. 

We have begun to see ourselves truly as global citizens. Gender markers on passports are now irrelevant because we have abandoned passports altogether. We understand that our home is Earth and national boundaries are relics. Those still using passports keep them as a kind of travel memento; they’re not required for crossing invisible lines. As global citizens, we have normalized frugality, adopting Pay-As-You-Throw programs, congestion pricing, and creating fully-staffed Swap Centers where managers ensure quality control of goods coming in, while properly disposing of anything not suitable for reuse. Visiting a Swap Center first is a normal way to shop for furniture, clothes, houseplants, electronics. It’s all free unless the object needed to be refurbished. 

There is more green than gray. All libraries, schools, and government buildings have gardens containing native, pollinator plants. You’ll find vegetable gardens in raised beds on patios. It goes without saying that all public buildings have productive roofs; these are either green roofs, covered in solar panels, or if neither of those are options, painted white. 

We have come to understand that non-human animals are not ours to exploit; hitting one with a vehicle is treated as a crime on the same level as hitting a human. With respect to animals, meat consumption has decreased. It is treated as a special dish on holidays. Animal milk and eggs are less central to our diets. Slowing down this demand means that farmers are no longer rewarded for industrial food production. Animals are treated with more kindness. The Earth is treated with more kindness. 

Urban agriculture is not a novelty. It’s normal to see large community gardens and greenhouses in every neighborhood, and they are capable of providing that neighborhood with many of the basics: lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, squashes, collards and kale, onions, garlic, and beans. Certainly there are still items that need to be imported, but we have shifted toward greater local sufficiency. Another benefit: because people see their food growing nearby, they are less likely to litter. Nobody wants to be picking broken glass out of their salad. 

Every community rushes to depave 30% of each surface parking lot that remains after converting others to housing, parks, dog parks, and community centers; property owners quietly compete with one another to have the most beautiful lots with bioswales, pollinator plants, and shade trees. With fewer cars on the roads, this space can return to higher uses. Now, the word “parking” is assumed to refer to parking for bicycles, strollers, and mobility devices; that other kind of parking is called “car storage.” Nearly all on-street car storage is removed from downtown, with only handicapped spaces remaining. In place of that car storage, restaurants have built permanent outdoor patios, and in other spots, people used it as an extension of their front yards. 

Interstates and arterials, viewed as dangerous, polluting, wastes of resources have been getting transformed everywhere. Where it made no financial sense or was too complicated to remove interstates entirely, multiple lanes were permanently closed to vehicles and that off-limits space given new life. Those reclaimed lanes were made beautiful, like The High Line, and offered as spaces for pedestrians and cyclists. It is the norm for children, once able to read and write, to go out on their own; the main danger that they faced – cars everywhere – has been reduced. 

With an almost complete conversion to electric, the passing tractor trailers are not overly disturbing. There are fewer trucks now than in the past because people voluntarily slowed their spending. Truck drivers are fairly compensated for their time and they get more time with their families; they are never expected to be out in ice storms or driving on Sundays. With tougher licensing laws, truckers also don’t have to contend with nearly as many reckless unprofessional drivers. 

Although it is an equally arduous process to renovating highways, buried rivers everywhere are being daylighted when possible. Urban residents are reconnected with their sense of belonging to the Earth because the Earth is not kept so hidden from them. Waves of people opted to move into cities, abandoning McMansions built on former tobacco fields and tree farms. 

We adopted longer range thinking and planning, considering how policy will impact a community, a planet, several generations later. All municipalities use participatory budgeting, but with more trust in the general public, handing over 25% of a total budget for people to decide on. Proposed projects are pitched at multiple public meetings, which are hybrid in-person and remote. The first round of pitches lets the public give feedback so that changes to the project can be made. Participants are encouraged to get early feedback from students, and most do this because they value the perspective of those whose curiosity and imagination flow freely. Any winning project that is not brought to fruition within two years is canceled and the funds returned to the participatory budgeting pot of money. Winning projects range from water bottle refill stations in city parks, to the installation and maintenance of free libraries at train stations and major bus stops, to the creation of a soundscape garden. 

People have the time to enjoy these spaces, having the capacity for unrushed walks while the tulips are blooming. We stopped apologizing for recognizing the good aspects of the 2020 pandemic, and began weaving them into our lives. People are encouraged to leave office spaces at lunch, to go sit and enjoy birdsong. And so what if they come back ten minutes “late” from lunch?! People are less frazzled and in a better general mood, less snappish with coworkers, and able to better focus on their tasks for the next few hours. 

A typical late afternoon and evening involves taking a walk or visiting a park, before or after dinner with one’s family – however they define family. Usually, people are sitting together at the table to share in the meal. They talk with one another, about real things. These conversations are not logistical, nor the time for a litany of complaints. Threatening to send someone to bed without dinner is not a thing anyone does anymore. The family might work together in their garden, read, make art, play games. What is noticeably different: there is no rushing here and there taking kids to and from extracurricular activities. Each school day has time for that sort of activity built in, on school grounds. Any competitions take place on one day of the weekend. Some people benefit from being part of teams, but we have learned that we overdid it for far too long. Now, a padded resume does not give anyone an edge in college admissions. 

College admissions have changed considerably. Most students have a conversation with a guidance counselor or admissions officer about their areas of interest and determine if a particular college is a good fit. Those going into a specialized program – think dance, music, art – may need to show a portfolio or perform as part of the conversation. Applicants may submit an essay about their interests if they are more comfortable writing than speaking. We have shifted from a strange competition and scarcity mindset, to one that believes all students have potential, and it’s really a matter of figuring out which place might be a good fit for them and their goals. There’s less angst around college admissions. People have calmed down a whole lot once they’ve stopped turning weeknights and weekends into a non-stop resume-building activity for their offspring. 

What else has helped our mood? Our news looks, sounds, and reads differently now. The people have spoken, preferring quality over quantity. Nobody actually ever asked for a 24/7 bad news cycle! Now, there is emphasis on quality over speed. Journalists always put their name on their stories and always have to approve edits, including to headlines. Reporters who didn’t want to take such pride in their work were ushered out and invited to find work that actually held meaning for them. Generative AI was banned in the industry. Journalists are getting paid fairly again. News outlets stopped the practice of paywalls, recognizing that information hoarding is criminal. Because the quality of news improved, most people were willing to take part in optional subscriptions. With fewer cars on the roads, there were fewer wrecks to report on, which happened to free up a lot of resources. Journalists replaced a horrifying old slogan with a new one: If it Succeeds, It Leads. Headline stories are usually about good news, unless there is a matter that is so urgent that it absolutely needs to be read or viewed first. The gossip columns are about people doing fun and interesting things – they aren’t for shaming. Publishing mugshots has been banned unless there is an active search for an individual, but that almost never happens. It was decided to be cruel to put out the photo of someone in one of their lowest moments, and we have learned that cruelty begets cruelty. 

Not all horrors have vanished, but they are rarer and rarer. War has been determined to cost too much to bother. Any time one nation bombs another, they are forced to pay for those damages – immediately. The first time this occurred, the people rose up with a fury. Elected politicians have been more serious and sensible. With a shift in values, there is nothing to be gained by having deadly pissing contests. The global agreement is that violent behavior is not a dignified or suitable way for humans to behave. Because we understand ourselves as global citizens first and foremost, we understand that destroying anything anywhere is inflicting harm upon ourselves. Resolving conflicts without violence takes time, but we see that conflicts actually can be solved this way. 

In this possible future, not every problem has been neatly solved. People wake up cranky sometimes. There are those who are irritated that this world looks different from the one they grew up in, even if they objectively benefit from it now. People still have challenges in their lives. But, we’re doing a whole hell of a lot better because we woke up and realized we deserved better for ourselves.