[trgn]

The aspirational american city is not the extremes like NYC or SF. It's the verdancy of places like Charleston, New Orleans, Ashville, ... That kind of gentle density and mixed use are wonderful city environments that much more than 25% of people would want to live in. And which is achievable in pretty much any neighborhood build before WW2, if only we allowed for it.

[HEmanZ]

In America, people believe there are only two ways to live: Manhattan high-rise or suburban McMansion.

My pet social theory is that an unbelievable amount of our societal woes stem from this false dichotomy in the American mind, and the cities we end up designing because of it.

[tptacek]

Most suburban homes look nothing like "McMansions". They're simple Cape Cods on small lots packed 30 to a block.

[trgn]

> My pet social theory is that an unbelievable amount of our societal woes stem from this false dichotomy in the American mind

Agreed, it's a failure of imagination. Americans, for whatever reason, cannot make that leap in their mind's eye.