Constantinople had plots for people but wasn't really meant to be a "village", Worlds End was similar, and Brodgar and New Brodgar tried similar things. All of these ended up failing so why would this fair any differently?
T think, bad design and lack of understanding the game community was the reason of their fail. The barter stand system wasn't really successful even in W3. But after some adjustmentsand thinking it is possible. Same here.
Also, you point out another flaw in the system, why would people want to buy or rent a plot? And notice I didn't flip out or anything on you here because you actually contribute to the thread instead of uselessness.
There might be different reasons. I'd see it as people would like to try something new, be safe, and have fun. Some poor newbs will probably move inside, some people just hold their own goods therefor safety or whatever, some could make a bakery/smelting space for taking payment from the people, some might do inn and etc. There are lots of variations of how the place could be used. Trading center is a good place to start anothre entertainment projects (arena, Boiled mussel tavern).