[davidw]

No, it might look something like Innsbruck, Austria, which is a beautiful city.

It may come as a shock to Americans raised in suburbia, but there are housing types between single family units and skyscrapers that are very human-scale and attractive. Look at pretty much any mountain town in Europe.

[vailprogrammer]

As an American with an EU passport, thanks for the idea. I had been leaning towards moving/retiring to Grenoble, France for the engineering university nestled in the Alps, but I will look further afield.

[davidw]

Trento and Bolzano in Italy are nice too. Probably depends on what languages you speak and what mix of amenities you care most about.