by andreww
I think the rules may be trying to be colorful here, not asserting that some of those arrangements are better than others. I've never felt any of them were significantly different than others, you just have to play to the opportunities as you do with occupations and what action spaces the others leave you.
Still, I can't imagine any harm in house ruling the starting positions. Have everyone set up the same, following a random card, or do a draft, or pick your favorite. It has such a small outcome on the game that if my opponent asked me if he could do a different arrangement than he had drawn I would have zero issue with it.