I'm not against making it look like Tokyo, I agree that it would be more productive if it were more dense. I don't live there so it isn't my problem. I do think that it limits the amount of economic growth and could hurt the national economy. I think it could also make it easier for other countries to leap frog us in terms of software but that is very speculative.

There's a lot of room between SF now and Tokyo. Even moderate increases in density and building housing stock. It's not a binary choice of the status quo or a dystopian nightmare.

Is Tokyo a dystopian nightmare? The density offers a high quality of living while controlling expenses for all but housing (which is understandably expensive). The mass transit there is world class, and so you don't need to own a car with all of its attendant costs. You can buy cheap groceries to cook at home. The standard of living and options for things to do is better than living in the country once you account for the higher average salaries in Tokyo.

I live in Manhattan and it's the same here. Rent is expensive (but not horribly so if you have roommates or an SO). Everything else is reasonable.

... And the inefficiency of delivering services to a large, low-density population; and the societal burdens of municipalities designed around automobiles as the primary mode of transportation. Air quality, sedentary lifestyles, loss of wildlands, and so on.

If street construction and maintenance were paid for solely by usage...