If they really wanted to get more people in the housing districts they would add stuff to do there.
It's called flavour. What's the point of having furniture too? Or multiple house options? By your logic FC houses should just have a garden plot and chocobo stables since everything else either serves no function (overwhelming majority of furniture) or provides services that can be obtained elsewhere (retainer bell, armoire, vendors).
Basically, stop being a stick in the mud.
Not sure how you reached that conclusion.
