I didn't really expect it to be this packed, gonna be suburbia hell rather than lost civilizations. Kind of disappointing.
There some things to think about here.
More diverse biomes will encourage expanding.
Right now, its what brushlands, or empty desert?
When more cool locations are added, people will spread out to have fun places.
The portal system probably needs to be adjusted. it really encourages building a town around it. for better or worse. with higher teirs, you probably have means to port to your claim. But early, you want to be close. And then, do you move away as you build up, or do you stay close for higher visibility?
My ideal would be making it straight up a community owned area for large amount. allowing player vendor stalls, and server community approved building. like allow players place their /saved buildings on it. and its put up in a temporary fashion. and players on that server can vote if it stays or not. Maybe even having full elections for a server community. taxes/zoning managers, etc. voting for who takes these positions.