This 2025 report from More in Common’s Beacon Project explores how Americans across political, racial, and generational lines share a belief in “morally directed agency”—the idea that individuals have both the right and responsibility to improve their lives and contribute to their communities. Drawing on surveys of over 60,000 people and in-depth interviews, the report reveals that most Americans value personal agency alongside a desire for systems that provide opportunity. It proposes a unifying civic vision rooted in empowerment, shared purpose, and mutual obligation.

This book reframes city-making as a collaborative cultural process—shaped by stories, rituals, and relationships, not just bricks and regulations. It offers a vocabulary and set of practices for embedding empathy, pluralism, and public imagination into civic infrastructure, directly aligning with The Change Lab’s mission of building social cohesion and systemic change from the ground up.