> The cultural differences make this comparison less meaningful than you’d expect If these cultural differences are so strong, then surely a market that allows

> The cultural differences make this comparison less meaningful than you’d expect If these cultural differences are so strong, then surely a market that allows new construction in the U.S. will tend toward creating housing that meets those needs. If it doesn't, it's probably because people place more value on other things (e.g. proximity, price, etc). The fact is that the market doesn't even get a chance to work itself out in the U.S. because cities encode a particular set of living preferences in law.