> Your apartment block wouldn't have only one grocery store nearby, you would have a thriving ecosystem of local stores and restaurants within walking distance.

> Your apartment block wouldn't have only one grocery store nearby, you would have a thriving ecosystem of local stores and restaurants within walking distance. If you visit larger cities in Russia, this is a thing from the USSR times, and probably my favorite thing about the country. I've lived in one of those buildings for a few months in total, 6th floor, in the south of Russia. If you need anything - coffee, groceries, fresh meat or produce, baguette (lol), ready-made food, drinks, medicine, sushi, or anything else, you just take an elevator down to the ground level and walk 0-5 minutes. If you also have a job there (or work from home), you can spend your entire life, with the exception of going on dates, parties, and to specialized doctors that are further away (dentists etc are often in the building too), in 1/2 a square mile of land or so. Its much like a space ship, and its very very cool. These blocks can be very far away from the city center, or right in the center -- it really doesnt make a difference! Contrast that with some modern cities in Europe, where you have to take a bus to get to a store (unless you have a car).