ValuyMost Americans would rather live in a big house in a car-based community than a small house in a walking-based community.
Another alternative is a row house. It’s bigger than an apartment, you actually own it with no HOA bullshit, you park on the street (though I have to pay the vast sum of about $30 a year for the privilege). And you can live in or near the city center, where you can find every kind of pub, restaurant or shop and where you can get trains or buses anytime.