[CapitalistCartr]

Society would be better served, but the whole system is stacked against it. Zoning, banking, and buyers. When a developer builds a luxury single-family suburban development, they make good money for less complexity, less risk. Marketing is easy, contractors in all the trades are easy, customers are easy, mortgages are easy (party due to federal gov't), etc. Everyone from masons to marketers to moms are comfortable. Change requires the gov't at all levels to put a metaphoric thumb on the scale.

In the interests of full disclosure, I despise doing resi new construction, but many guys do it exclusively.