Well, if they limit festivals to one neighbourhood only, it would help with festival fatigue. But, I don't mind the festivals themselves, even though some are a bit boring. I don't like when we get downtown areas that are supposed to be lively and populated but instead they are like ghost towns.
Those construction sites can only be decorative because sims can't live in them while they are under construction. But if they are located near your sim's lot, then maybe they could add some specific sound effects like cranes screeching, pick hammers drilling, workers shouting and wolf whistling. 😁🤣 It makes the neighbourhood feel animated. Maybe sims could sneak in at night to paint graffiti and scale the crane to take selfies.