[miki123211]

And the parking angle.

Europe builds apartment complexes which are ~3 to ~10 stories tall, the US builds sprawling suburbs, zoned so that there's no grocery store in sight.

If you're packed 3 to an apartment in a 10-story complex, it's unlikely there's enough parking for all of you.

[pocksuppet]

The two basement levels in a complex that size are often parking, but the distance to the grocery store is a real factor. When the city is made of 10-story apartment complexes, the economics justify a grocery store every 10 minutes walk in every direction.

Do Americans really have to practice walking before going to visit Europe?