Use small to seem large

Use small to seem large: Use small buildings and structures to make a layout's space seem large.

Usage: Use small to seem large was the guiding design principle on Brian's basement sized N-scale layout of the Canadian prairies.

Source: The 'Use small to seem large' design concept, first developed and articulated by John Allen on his Gorre & Daphetid RR, was reported by Earl Cochrane in the October 1955 Railroad Model Craftsman article, Sunset on the old G & D:

I was quite surprised to learn from John that he used small buildings and structures on his pike. He said that his structures were not underscaled, as I at first thought, but rather small in prototype size. By using small structures in this way, it made the layout look larger and gave a better perspective. Large buildings on a small pike look out of place.

Update to 2nd ed., 1999: For a contrasting design philosophy tailored more to urban and suburban settings refer to Art Curren's article, The BTR RR., in the September 1980 issue of Model Railroader. Mr. Curren discusses how to eliminate feelings of brief travel times and short distances on a small layout (in this article the layout measures 5' x 9') by using features like having tightly packed industrial areas separated by treed residential areas butted up against them, lots of non-railroad buildings, tall buildings that block views, a variety of levels, steep grades, and streets that twist and turn in many directions. The net effect being that the layout seems larger than its relatively diminutive footprint would suggest.

Update to 3rd ed., 2019: Selective Compression [alternate] is a variation on the 'Use small to seem large' concept in that the buildings and structures are neither compressed nor underscaled, and are used to manipulate the viewer's perception of the size of the layout's space.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 1st ed., 1959.