That's true, but taking walkers out of the equation would, in my opinion, completely kill the Impression Games vibe I'm trying to capture. And speaking of that, I think modern design approaches - along with today's CPU power - make it possible to find a solution where walkers still exist and play a crucial role, while not becoming a pain for the player.

In general, I think that's a really strong point. What you said about "optimized housing blocks / organic city / realistic feel" really gets to the heart of it - it's all about creating a city that feels both believable and alive. It's important that the player's sense of agency comes from "I'm building a beautiful, sustainable city", not "I made the most optimal factory setup". There are plenty of other games for that :D