The problem is the American ideal of what a home looks like - detached from other buildings, front lawn, backyard, large kitchen, large living room.
Given the density in cities that you mention, properties like that simply don't exist or are outside of the reach of most people. Arguably, that's how it should be - most people shouldn't be able to live in expansive homes and work in urban environments, but that's the baseline we've setup for two generations now.
Given the density in cities that you mention, properties like that simply don't exist or are outside of the reach of most people. Arguably, that's how it should be - most people shouldn't be able to live in expansive homes and work in urban environments, but that's the baseline we've setup for two generations now.