Adventure mode is a lot less playable than fortress mode at the moment, so the problem is trying to extrapolate what it's going to be like later and then deciding what you'd like.
That having been said, it would be nice if people around town had possessions, much as the dwarves do, based on their relative socioeconomic standing. Peasants aren't going to own a jewel-encrusted rat bone scepter - but the Mayor might. Maybe theft would become more than "hmm, I'm hungry, let's go steal from the food barrel".
A *really* cool addition would be designated farmland in the empty space just above or below the town. Much like in fortress mode, but outside. This explains where all the food is coming from. However, unless it's balanced properly, there'll either be too much food production and an oversupply of barrels, or too little food production and starvation.
Similarly, it'd be quite cool to have maybe one or two workshops in a town. Not a huge number, since, c'mon, it's just a wee village. And instead of having shops for everything, just shops for what the village produces. Although this is kind of getting beyond the 'basic items' concept.
And it would be quite nice to be able to tell the town hall from all the apartments everywhere. One of the more annoying things is checking every building to see whether it's the house you're looking for. As for differentiating individual homes, maybe different kinds of furniture placement, different types of furniture (wooden chairs, stone thrones, etc...), just random stuff that people accumulate throughout their lives. Maybe a chest with a few keepsakes.