NYC offers a great deal -- it squeezes 5x the Bay Area housing stock into a tiny land area by building upwards. If anything, NYC doesnt do enough. Parts where the zoning allows 12stories (e.g., Brooklyn 4th Ave) should ideally be 24 stories or more. It is a heck of a lot more efficient to stack upwards rather than stack outwards. For those who want more space, you can go outwards, but for those who value shorter commutes, you can achieve that.