I think this is one of those things that people seem to "want", but has really been dictated to them by forces outside their control and outside of their immediate impact.

- Do people really "want" to drive 10/15 minutes to pick up the milk they forgot last time they went to the store?

- Do people really "want" to spend huge amounts of money on a car, insurance, gas.

- Do people really "want" to spend huge amounts of time in traffic on their way to and from work every day?

I could go on, but I think the answer is generally "no" to all those questions. And that's leaving out all the deleterious health effects we know commuting and the suburban lifestyle can cause.

What people really want is safe places, good schools, short commutes, good shopping/food choices, outdoor spaces, etc. We've been sold a bill of goods since Levittown on the "american dream" that offers the solution to all the problems of cities by creating an entirely different (and I'd say overall significantly greater) set of problems. It's treating the symptoms instead of the disease.