I like he whole idea of wiping the server. It's getting a bit samey. I mean, there's space galore for new builds and people, but with people saying that it's a bad idea to build too close to someone, it's sort of difficult trying to find the perfect place that no one complains about.
However on the new server, there'll be a whole freaking map for people to spread out in - plus if people realise that the person they're living near is building 'eye sores' in their opinion, by the time of the update they can make use of the space and move away.
(Sounds a bit bitchy I know but it's not my opinion, I just know some people are like that).
I think what we should capitalise on is selling houses though. I was walking around a few of the cities and saw some pretty nice houses. Now I had no idea if they were for sale, how to buy them or what, and I think that maybe having a few people live in a community instead of dotted randomly across the world is sort of attractive in some way :3 Maybe a few big, attractive houses that'll make people WANT to live there instead of building their own shabby hut that they'll work on as they go...*
City Portals Only is a brilliant idea - makes everyone less lazy
A Printout of the Top 10 final skills sounds like a good idea. A sort of momentum to all that hard work people have put into the SMP.
Personally I don't like the railroad idea... I always found them to be painfully difficult in my case :/ Plus it apparently lags... Sadly I love the idea of roads or some sort of track to reach other cities but the chance of them being creeper-bombed is just too high a risk :/
*For some reason this just made me think of aristocrats living in a home that gives a statement about themselves, or a sort of status among the posher individuals.... and then the idea of minecraft users wanting to buy certain houses because it gives them status. WTH too many ideas.
*Edit: I also like your idea Panty (was typing this before you sent that x_X).
BTW, what are you going to do about the Golden Pants Crew hideout, as it will be wiped from the server if you build one now? :/ I guess you could use this time to make a test build (though you could use freebuild for that anyway. In SMP you could get the GPC Members' view and suggestions on it though...)