All resources influence others to some degree. The cost in food is to me, roughly equal to the benefit of faster healing what overcrowding is an effectively free doubling of healthcare, plus when population is small the more engineers you have free the better. You could argue the same thing for houses of healing, but by the time you have the law time to get them you usually have enough engineers already, and they are pretty mediocre overall, except on fall of winterhome.

Plus late game kinda.. doesn't matter in frostpunk. Once you're firmly on your feet, with resource streams coming in the whole game slows down and becomes pretty solidly easy mode.

Also your argument for order is that its worse at completing the story objective which is extremely funny, I more care about how its buildings don't need to be staffed or heated, and easy access to shrines.

Both of your options work but doesn't give much benefit in the late game, similar to getting bank interest. The only exception is Survivor Winterhome when both of your options are needed.

1. Overcrowding still means that there are many who cannot work and cripples early production. When population is small, there is only one choice of having the ill work with the risk of dying. Storms further wreck havoc in endless mode during the first few weeks.
2. Faith is more centered on Hope that decreases with each death that does not happen in my guides. They also have a scripted death when using the House of Healing but lacks the same quality healing as an infirmary.

Order still works in New Home and ending the Londoners scenario too soon give much less time to prepare for the giant storm. It may sound weird to have many Londoners but few are needed on the last day to buy more time.

Ah that would be why you had to rely on inferior coal thumpers. 1: overcrowding way better its like one emergency shift in exchange for twice as efficient engineers. 2: order is for nerds faith is way better on every scenario, I get all the londoners to stay without even getting faith keepers every time, its great.

I was thinking why I delayed coal mines. It's because I went order and also went extra food rations for the ill. Those two alone eats up about double or triple food. Lots of food-eating abilities for efficiency boosts.

Also, gathering posts and thumpers with foremen and agitators give a tremendous boost until more steam cores are obtained for those coal mines.

Nah survivor mode on new home, refugees, arks, and on the edge without steam thumpers. I've also done rifts builder without using them and I've probably done extreme endurance at some point.
I personally never use hothouses, and I actually do wall drill and then either coal mine or infirmiries depending on what I need.
(I have completed all(including endless) but fall of winterhome without anyone dying)