Even if you got the construction costs down and were willing to suffer the inefficiency of low population densities, neighborhood streets and buildings are stil

Even if you got the construction costs down and were willing to suffer the inefficiency of low population densities, neighborhood streets and buildings are still hostile to people who aren’t in cars. To do it right you have to rethink every inch space, curbs, power lines, street width, driveways, lot sizes, load zones, commercial zoning, etc. For example, new urban buildings in American cities typically have underground parking. So a store or a restaurant in an old building that was 100 feet deep would have had a back area for storage or kitchens. In new construction at street level there are ramps down to the garage, so the commercial spaces are much shallower. That’s why the old shops and restaurants are typically replaced by Subway, tanning salons, and banks. Now the neighborhood services and amenities are harder to get to, which creates more work for the transit system. There are good solutions to these problems but it requires looking at the big picture.