Towns must look like towns, therefore you can not claim empty land and keep it like that for a long time. To have large claims you also need to build a town with building and such. Building should be rewarded not punished, I dont see any benefits in building other than feeling slightly better. It will also encourage more people to make their own towns and expand them since building will now be rewarding and wanted in a nation.

Not to mention just paying the towny resource survey with current prices is a gamble of itself which most of the times you lose or need multiple months to recover from especially on higher tiers. I feel like these mechanics should be leaned more towards someones work on developing a town rather than luck if you recruit people at the right time, which isnt possible for half of the players due to availability in peak hours. Recruiting has its own benefits so its not like it will die out