I have used the 9 by 9 a lot and it doesn't seem to be the most efficient type of block, because it always needs lots of service buildings to make sure all the houses are covered. If the houses are stuck at small casa, they probably need pottery or a bath house.
Also, I believe it's not possible to evolve the most basic 9 by 9 block completely to large insulae; some of them can evolve, but there isn't enough room for all of them.

[This message has been edited by Basilius (edited 08-08-2003 @ 03:35 PM).]

Hi jamesnewman22,
I like Eraserhead's large insulae blocks. They work fine.
But designing and using your own blocks is also a fun.

Probably in your 9x9 block you are not using a gatehouse and a service walker works around. Right click on the houses or check overlays.

jamesnewman22,

I also prefer "loop" or "single-ring" housing blocks. The basic idea is obvious from the thread that philon linked--force each "random" walker to pass by all houses on every walk. (I would recommend loops of no more than 48 or 50 road tiles, somewhat smaller than Eraserhead's larger blocks.)

If you build 9x9 blocks (or any others that do not force "random" walkers to pass by all houses on each walk), then it's possible for a house to run out of a good (such as furniture) since a market trader may not pass by for several months. Such blocks can work well (Jayhawk has built some beautiful cities using 9x9 blocks), but it takes care and some rebuilding to correct problems as they are discovered.

ive found that "grumpus's s-block" is quite effective at small casa..... go to his page and it can be found there along with some data that proves why it can be effective (its not the MOST effective ive seen more) but its very good at the start of a map i found.....

the link can be found here

you may also try the smaller 7x7 block, which has fewer problems but is also less cost effective. I like it for desert type scenario's.

Actually it is possible to have all houses in a 9x9 block evolve to large insulae. Initially some of the houses will stay at medium insulae, because they have no space to expand into. You may check by clicking on them. When you delete the large insula next to one of them, it will expand. Now undo the delete, and the medium insula will seem to revert back, but if you click on it, it appears it didn't. You now have overlapping houses, and when the deleted/undone large insula, that has lost tenants, gets new ones and re-evolves, you may see various types of graphical distortion. For all other practical purposes you now have two LI's. If you do that for all the MI's in your block, you have an all LI (stable) 9x9 block.

It does not work for all blocks, sometimes the MI's in the process expand over roads, and in Pharaoh I also have seen them expand over water and statues. Nonetheless I can send you maps with these types of housing blocks. When viewed at different angles they can look very nifty, something like a huge insula, build from a series of LI's connected.

These blocks are of little practical use, unless you may want to cram a lot of people in a small area, which was what the insula were built for. In ordinary gameplay that has no application, in contests it might be relevant.