That's cost prohibitive for the amount of space you'd need as compared with moving to suburban/rural locations.

Possible? Yes, but not necessarily the best financial decision when cities seem to be allergic to increasing population density.

There are very few 3-4 bedroom apartments around but a townhouse or similar could work. Maybe I'm just stuck in a rut, I like my lifestyle right now and happy to continue. If I was WFH every day it just feels like it is artificially expensive to live in a big city and I should move. It opens a lot of alternatives which could be very good but I automatically ignore them because I'm happy right now. And the wife probably doesn't want that log cabin in the woods - so its easier not to think about it. :)

The message of the original post appears to be that all other things being equal the poster would rather live in the suburbs in a larger home with a more carbon-intensive lifestyle. However, the misery of the commute from the suburbs to the office overwhelms that preference resulting in the decision to live in the city.

i.e. the assumption that the reduction in commuting would not be offset by changes in other areas is unjustified.