The question of the ideal environment for kids to grow up in is certainly an interesting one. I myself grew up in an apartment, but from visits to friends and f

The question of the ideal environment for kids to grow up in is certainly an interesting one. I myself grew up in an apartment, but from visits to friends and family, I think I have a perspective on how having a wide, safe outdoor space can be good for kids. The problems is that as children develop, their focus and needs change. A toddler needs little more than a small space and a parent's attention (this is obviously oversimplified, bear with me). Older kids enjoy running around and playing outdoors and can play just with rudimentary objects. At some point, rocks and sticks stop being enough and the kids begin to form more specific hobbies and demand more autonomy. Group activities outside of school can be essential in developing those hobbies and now having a nice house isn't enough, you need a dense enough community to support these groups without long commutes. Safe walkable streets or public transport also help with the development of autonomy, which is at odds with the previous ideal of a large, secluded house. High schoolers might go want to go to a school tailored to their interests, which will most likely require going to a boarding school for kids who don't live near/in a city, separating them from the family probably sooner than they'd like and separating them from friends on the weekends. What's best for kids isn't easy to define and is also individualised. A kid who grows up to wanting to be a forester might appreciate living in the countryside, while a budding programmer might wish for more opportunities to meet likeminded peers. Thankfully parents' interests and the environment they live in reflect on their kids, so it's not all random, but there's probably no ideal environment for every kid, there's just pros and cons. That said, thinking about the requirements and maximising the pros isn't a bad idea, we just need to be careful to examine the problem from all perspectives.