Cryptopians gain benefits when buying land and developing inside their faction zone. As the concentration of connected land owners of the same faction rises in a given area, the effect of the faction zone increases in turn.

To Illustrate:

Industrial faction — can create Industrial zones on neighboring land tiles which:

• Can boost productivity of power plants and factories productivity
• Enable additional services like supermarkets
• Impose penalties on nearby Eco faction buildings and zones

Eco faction — can designate adjacent land as 'natural parks,' which:

• Positively impact the climate, raising Eco players' XP
• Lower the performance of any nearby industries
• Create larger parks that give stronger effects and attract wildlife, granting Eco players extra bonuses and XP

Example:

Bob builds an oil platform, but Alice's nearby natural park renders it unprofitable, which he could've avoided by owning surrounding tiles.