Just had an idea on top of my head. We always see players just idling in town, sitting, afk, chilling. And it could give a first impression to newbies that this server or players are passive.
To encourage more activity or moving around towns, maybe we can have an on-going event which will entice people to be more active. So here's what i thought of.
Have "trash" spawn in major towns and have a recycling NPC which will reward recycling. And maybe have a leaderboard too for the players with the most recycled items. Example, spawn randomly across the town some BBG wrappers or candy wrappers, potion bottle caps, etc and an npc will reward players who give him like 200pcs of trash, with a reward box plus some points to top recyclers leaderboard. This will also promote cleanliness in oneself while making the map more active with players walking around picking up trqsh for rewards.
Again, it's jist an idea, so feel free to comment.