There's lots of old, walkable downtowns in the midwest that have a feeling of appropriate density. Most of them are part of old cities that are past their prim

There's lots of old, walkable downtowns in the midwest that have a feeling of appropriate density. Most of them are part of old cities that are past their prime in economic vitality, so those areas don't have the same liveliness as what you might get in downtown Boston. (I used to work for a company based there, and would spend hours walking around at night.) I'd recommend Pittsburgh for walkability, too. It's one of the most delightful cities I've wandered around recently. Unfortunately, even Boston, Pittsburgh, NYC, and the lesser-known but walkable/dense areas are pretty unappealing when compared to some cities in south/central america and Europe, that were built before cars took over everything. I suspect once a few large cities go bankrupt and cannot enforce their zoning regulations, new construction will move in the direction of rational density again.