Cities have received lots of attention so far. The main problem seems to be that they are often boring, lifeless, and don't offer enough gameplay. I have long argued for bringing more life to cities and the game world as a whole. Here is how I would like to see that happen in FE.
1. Events: Add more events and tie them directly to cities. Have these events be both random and driven by the status of the city. A random event might include an outbreak of plague that kills 10% of the population. A status driven event could include a riot that kills population and reduces income, with a chance to occur if unrest gets too high. As much as possible, give the player options in how to respond. The model I would use would be the event system seen in most Paradix titles like Crusader Kings. Adding events like these would make the world more alive, give the player more interesting choices, and create interesting situations based on the status of the realm. High taxes? Maybe a tax revolt event. Lots of researcin produced by a city? Maybe an event with a new discovery of a unique spell or tech.
2. Quests: Have some quests driven like the event system, independent of an existing quest tile. So if you build a tavern, you might be offered a quest. Or if you build a town hall, a citizen might petition you for aid. This would create new, interesting types if quests,gc resting more variety. It would also give more quest opportunities, something that is currently a problem since you can easily exhaust all of the available static quests in your area. It would also tie questing to the rest of the game. If high unrest exists, a quest might spawn from a town where you need to track down some rebels.
3. Buildings: as stated above, tie buildings to quests and events. This will make the decision to build something more interesting. It will also give buildings purpose beyond pumping out Gildar or whatever. Right now I could care less about a building after I place it. If players are instead offered quests or events from buildings, then that building will continue to be of interest. I would also like to see players able to name buildings and upgrade them. This would allow additional specialization and would also add character to cities. I would find a city much more interesting if instead of just having a generic library, I instead had a level 5 library that I named The Great Library of Tarth, a location famed around the world, that often drove interesting events and quests. Each upgrade could add a bonus to the primary function of the building, and also change the frequency and types of events. So my Great Library of Tarth would be more likely to attract famous scholars, make discoveries leading to new quests, etc. This would hplay create interesting gameplay by allowing players to invest in their cities to a greater extent, allowing for more developed, interesting cities that would really drive gameplay. If you think about famous cities in fiction and history, they are often known for famous walls, buildings, and locations. Ourcurrent cities are just generic and bland.