Link to official Crate Game guide - Desirability section
Desirability is a key component of Villager happiness in settlements of any size and is also one of the requirements for Shelters to upgrade to higher tiers of housing, increasing both household tax revenue and Villager requirements.
While certain amenities, workplaces and decorations can increase desirability and are beneficial to put near housing, other production and service buildings can have a negative impact on desirability and should be kept away from residential areas.
Note: Disabling buildings (such as the Healer's House) will stop their positive boost to desirability in addition to their upkeep cost, if any.
Between placement of negatively-impacting buildings and disabling of services, it is possible to reduce desirability below a building's upgrade threshold. If this occurs, Homesteads and above can become Abandoned and residents will move out until desirability improves, potentially causing housing shortages.
If left long enough, Abandoned buildings eventually become Condemned and are no longer recoverable, requiring The Player to manually salvage the Shelter to reclaim that location.
Desirability Interface
| Very Positive | 
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| Positive | 
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| Neutral | 
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| Negative | 
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| Very Negative | 
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Building Impacts (Positive)
Building impacts on Desirability are limited to a specific radius with diminishing impacts on shelters depending on range.
Some buildings with positive impacts to desirability only provide impact the first time a house gains access, duplicate buildings will not provide stacking impacts to Shelters.
Buildable
Radius is measured from the edges of the structure, on buildings with rectangular shapes, the radius is an oval.
| Building Name | Radius | % Impact Range | Stackable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town Center | 11 | 5-8% | N/A |
| Basic Well | 14 | 3-5% | No |
| Market | 11 | 5-9% | No |
| School | 14 | 10% | No |
| Bakery | 13 | 3-5% | No |
| Healer's House | 14 | 5% | No |
| Pub | 13 | 5-9% | No |
| Theater | 38 | 8-14% | No |
| Small Shrub | 3 | 1-2% | Yes |
| Small Garden | 4 | 1-2% | Yes |
| Medium Garden | 5 | 3-4% | Yes |
| Garden Trail | 5 | 2-3% | Yes |
| Small Plaza | N/A | No | N/A |
| Shrine | 11 | 5-9% | No |
| Medium Plaza | 4 | 2-3% | Yes |
| Small Park | 11 | 5-9% | No * |
| Large Park | 22 | 8-14% | No * |
| Small Statue | 10 | 3-5% | No |
| Medium Statue | 13 | 4-7% | No |
| Large Statue | 18 | 6-11% | No |
| Trees (Decorative) | N/A | No | N/A |
* Parks share the desirability bonus. Adding a Small Park next to a Large Park adds no desirability.
Upgraded
| Building Name | Radius | % Impact Range | Stackable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town Center - Tier 2 | 11 | 5-8% | N/A |
| Town Center - Tier 3 | N/A | ||
| Town Center - Tier 4 | N/A | ||
| Improved Well | 14 | 4-7% | No |
| Market Square | 13 | 6-11% | No |
| Hospital | 14 | 8% | No |
| Grand Theater | 38 | 10-19% | No |
| Small Paved Garden | 4 | 3-4% | Yes |
| Medium Paved Garden | 5 | 4-7% | Yes |
| Garden Path | 5 | 3-5% | Yes |
| Small Brick Plaza | N/A | No | N/A |
| Altar | 11 | 8-13% | No |
| Medium Brick Plaza | 4 | 3-5% | Yes |
| Small Paved Park | 11 | 8-13% | No |
| Large Paved Park | 22 | 10-18% | No |
Building Impacts (Negative)
NOTE: Visual impact radius during placement may not reflect full range of negative impact upon restarting the game. An additional buffer of 2-4 squares is recommended to avoid unplanned impacts.
Buildable
| Building Name | Radius | % Impact Range | Stackable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokehouse | 6 | 8-13% | |
| Windmill | 7 | 8-13% | |
| Barn | 7 | 30% | |
| Firewood Splitter | 5 | 8-12% | |
| Saw Pit | 10 | 11-18% | |
| Tannery | 12 | 16-27% | |
| Compost Yard | 11 | 26-43% | |
| Work Camp | 7 | 3-4% | |
| Iron Mine | 8 | 10-17% | |
| Gold Mine | 8 | 13-22% | |
| Coal Mine | 8 | 13-22% | |
| Soap Shop | 7 | 15% | |
| Charcoal Kiln | 10 | 22-35% | |
| Foundry | 7 | 11-17% | |
| Blacksmith Forge | 8 | 11-17% | |
| Brickyard | 5 | 11-16% | No |
| Glassmaker | 9 | 30 |
Upgraded
| Building Name | Radius | % Impact Range | Stackable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Barn | 7 | 30% | |
| Firewood Splitter Workshop | 5 | 8-12% | |
| Saw Mill | 10 | 11-18% | |
| Smeltery | 7 | 11-17% | |
| Blacksmith Workshop | 8 | 11-17% |
Additional Notes
- Non-stackable desirability bonus for a particular building type can be improved up to its range limit if a second building of the same type is placed in closer proximity to a shelter.
- This is not a true 'stacking effect', but a change in which building is being used in the desirability calculation for a Shelter.
- Desirability can exceed 100% in some cases. This does not meaningfully impact Villager behavior, tax revenue or gameplay. (EDIT: As of 0.8, there is now a benefit to exceeding 100% desirability)