Among my other weird inventions, I've been planning to make a different Monopoly for several years, now. I'm a big landlord in a small town, and know firsthand what really goes on.
The first idea was to make property ownership more realistic: You should pay property taxes and income tax every time you pass “go”.
(Make the thing too realistic, and it gets too much like real life, so you might as well just go out there in real life and act like it's a game)
Then, I thought there should be political parties, and elections, but that would be for another game.
Anyway, since I'm a geometer and an artist, why not redesign the board radically?
Instead of going around and around on a 10 x 10 edge, you should have two or three rows of spaces and a spiral pattern of play that dumps you into the middle, where “Go” resides. You don't get your two hundred dollars just for being there. You have to have earned it.
So, when you choose your game token in the beginning, you also get a profession, like Accountant, Doctor, Race car driver, Dental supply company rep, and so on.
Each job has its own perks and problems. When you get to a square or three somewhere along the road, you must perform tasks accordion to your profession. Like play some music, if you are that.
You are rated by your fellow players, and your pay is accorded accordingly.
Some aspects of the game “Careers” could be folded in here.
You can apply for a bank loan to build only after you have a building permit, and a good income.
OK, forget all that, here's some other ideas:
Before you can develop your property, you must first get building permits. You apply for an EIS, have the property checked for wetlands, and so on.
You are allowed only certain uses in certain zones. You can apply to change zoning (with a fee) but without certainty of success. If you're downtown, and have enough credit, you can possibly build high-rise. The plastic hotels are made stackable for this purpose.
Also, you don't have to be “lucky” to be buying the property. Instead, before play, and after each has had each turn, properties come up for sale. An auction is held, and if the price gets too high, the buyer must be careful so as not to become “Property poor”
Every time you pass certain squares, you must buy gas and food.
You must at all times maintain lodging of some kind, unless traveling, but then must pay by the night or camp out.
Rent is cheap, but every player must pay something at each property he/she passes.(not lands on)
If a person doesn't have enough income to sustain trips around the board, he or she may stay at the youth hostel, (or at the homeless shelter), and remain motionless, but you can apply for public assistance.
If you land on a railroad, (you may not buy it unless it's up for auction), but you can pop out at any other railroad station of your choosing.
Same goes for airlines, but the ticket is more expensive.
If you fart, you're out of the game.
You can use real money if you wish, but then each player must start with the same given amount.
Initially, no player has enough money to buy any but the cheapest real estate outright, but must make it on a down payment, and payments per cycle. A player can purchase from another party, and assume the monthly payments.
There are surprises, like tenants who destroys your property and leave heaping amounts of garbage.
And rats. There is a rat clean-up fee, and you miss a turn because you're out sick.
More later

The basics are the same, but I've added so many changes, the mathematical balnces of the game economy would have to be recalibrated.

mike