It's not that they never took off (there used to be many, esp in urban places with lots of European immigrants), its that they run counter to the hyper-individu

It's not that they never took off (there used to be many, esp in urban places with lots of European immigrants), its that they run counter to the hyper-individualistic American mindset. And over time, communal features of American civic life have become objects of neglect if not derision (public education, public transport, etc)