Are villagers more likely to move to a 3x3 space that?s surrounded by paths, rather than a 3x3 space in the middle of nowhere, or does this not matter?
If both places are viable slots, it's probably 50/50. But it might seem to favor the open area since there's more wiggle room for a plot to land. I will say from my latest experience in plot resetting, they were more likely to move into awkward spots that I'd missed covering with patterns.