How would you design your dream city?

The total runtime is approximately 8 minutes; please plan your viewing time accordingly. Urban planner James Rojas shares a refreshing approach: inviting everyday people to build miniature models of their ideal communities using LEGO bricks, small figurines, and other tiny objects. Surprisingly, participants from diverse ages, income levels, and cultural backgrounds often converged on remarkably similar "dream cities"—public spaces, neighborhood interaction, and green environments emerged as shared keywords. This phenomenon reveals a deep, cross-cultural consensus about what makes an ideal place to live. The core appeal of this talk lies in transforming urban planning from abstract blueprints into a hands-on, playful experience, awakening everyone's imagination for their living environment through childhood memories and storytelling. The content is well-structured and briskly paced, blending empirical observation with thought-provoking reflection. Recommended for: general audiences interested in urban planning, educators, community design practitioners, and anyone pondering "how should we live together?" No prior expertise needed—just sit back and enjoy the resonance.