Explore resident ideas
Every idea residents submitted to Ideas in Action in 2024–25, 2025–26 and 2026–27. Search the words residents used, or narrow by cycle, theme, neighborhood, language or how the idea was submitted.
Themes grouped with AI from resident idea text. English titles and summaries written with AI.
3,748 ideas
- Youth-led surplus food rescue networkResident asks to support and expand a youth-led network that redirects surplus business food to shelters and food-insecure families, reducing waste and hunger.2025–26City-wideFood access
- Community-owned healthy grocery storeResident asks for a community-owned grocery selling healthy, chemical-free local food to improve health, keep money in the neighborhood and counter large chains.2025–26DorchesterFood access
- Weekend and winter community center hoursResident asks for community centers to open on weekends and in winter as free gathering spaces for families, starting with majority-minority neighborhoods.2025–26City-wideRecreation facilities & sports
- Trash cans and trees in Black and brown neighborhoodsResident asks for more trash cans and tree planting in neighborhoods like Roxbury and Dorchester to reduce litter and provide shade, citing unequal infrastructure investment.2025–26City-wideClean streets & restrooms
- Bridge linking Arboretum Road tunnel to Arnold ArboretumResident asks for a bridge from the new Arboretum Road tunnel to the Arnold Arboretum, giving nearby residents a more direct connection and extending the Greenlink toward Forest Hills.2025–26Jamaica PlainParks, trees & climate
- Benches and shade trees at Cleveland CircleResident asks for benches and shade trees at Cleveland Circle so people have shaded places to sit as the climate warms.2025–26BrightonParks, trees & climate
- More frequent street cleaning and more trash binsResident asks for a regular cleaning schedule, weekly sweeping, community leaf and snow removal crews, and more sorted trash and recycling bins to reduce litter.2025–26City-wideClean streets & restroomsSubmitted in Chinese
- Repair damaged roads and sidewalks, add accessibility featuresResident asks for repairs in badly damaged areas such as Kneeland St, Blue Hill Ave and Harvard Ave: filling potholes, resurfacing, better drainage, fixing sidewalks and adding accessible ramps and tactile paving.2025–26City-wideStreet & sidewalk repairSubmitted in Chinese
- Public restroom at Chinatown gateResident asks for a public restroom near the Chinatown gate to improve basic neighborhood facilities.2025–26ChinatownClean streets & restroomsSubmitted in Chinese
- Public restroom at Chinatown gateResident asks for a public restroom near the Chinatown gate to improve basic neighborhood facilities.2025–26ChinatownClean streets & restroomsSubmitted in Chinese
- Fund community projects supporting undocumented immigrantsResident would direct the $2 million to community projects that provide migration assistance and protect undocumented people, arguing that all people deserve equal dignity.2025–26East BostonImmigrant & language supportSubmitted in Spanish
- Repair streets that are hard to walkResident asks the city to repair streets to solve difficulty walking on them.2025–26ChinatownStreet & sidewalk repairSubmitted in Chinese
- More Chinatown parking and stronger road safetyResident asks for more parking spaces in Chinatown and stronger road safety measures.2025–26City-wideTransit & getting aroundSubmitted in Chinese
- Multilingual service hub and senior programs in ChinatownResident asks for a small multilingual public service station near Chinatown for health, housing and food information, plus funding for senior centers to expand health talks, meals, respite care and depression screening.2025–26City-wideImmigrant & language supportSubmitted in Chinese
- Permanent public restrooms in parks and public areasResident asks for permanent public restrooms, not portable toilets, in parks and public areas to improve cleanliness, reduce disease spread and give homeless people and visitors dignified access.2025–26City-wideClean streets & restrooms
- Community fridges, commuter aid and cost-of-living fundResident proposes community fridges and kitchens with local partners, commuter subsidies for low-income workers, and an emergency cost-of-living fund offering quick cash or supplies for rent, transit or food hardship.2025–26City-wideFood accessSubmitted in Chinese
- More parking spaces in ChinatownResident asks the city to add parking spaces in Chinatown.2025–26ChinatownTransit & getting aroundSubmitted in Chinese
- Dog park in RoxburyResident asks for a designated off-leash dog park in Roxbury so dogs without yard access can play and socialize safely and owners can follow the rules.2025–26RoxburyParks, trees & climate
- Smoking bans in playgrounds and cleaner public restroomsResident proposes multilingual no-smoking signs and ranger enforcement in playgrounds and parks, plus scheduled restroom cleaning, a QR code or 311 reporting system and weekly disinfection.2025–26City-wideClean streets & restroomsSubmitted in Chinese
- Maintained portable toilets at large parksResident asks for maintained portable toilets at large parks with picnic areas citywide, citing North End Langone Park as a prime example.2025–26City-wideClean streets & restrooms
- Maintain or add a skatepark in DorchesterResident asks for a better-maintained or additional skatepark in Dorchester where kids of all ages can interact and learn skills, drawing visitors from other parts of the city.2025–26UnspecifiedRecreation facilities & sports
- More public bathrooms near MBTA stopsResident asks for more bathrooms in MBTA areas to meet public sanitation needs, citing people urinating in crowded streets.2025–26DowntownClean streets & restrooms
- Retrack Savin Hill Station for Braintree trainsResident asks to retrack Savin Hill Station so Braintree trains can stop there, since Dorchester residents currently wait about twice as long for service.2025–26DorchesterTransit & getting around
- Multilingual, braille and QR code signs and placardsResident asks for signs and historical placards in more languages, with braille and QR codes that read text aloud, to improve accessibility for residents and tourists.2025–26City-wideLibraries, digital & civic life
- Convert vacant hotel near Mass Ave into housingResident asks to renovate a large empty hotel near Massachusetts Avenue to house homeless people without restrictive evictions, to advance equity.2025–26City-wideHomelessness & shelter