That was the model of LA and plenty of working class people retired with a considerable nest egg at the end of the process - in the 60s through the 90s.

The problem is you run out of rings. The three hour commute ring is unsustainable, unlivable and the trend-setters try to move into the center again, city size reaches a maximum and quickly thrown-up roads and bridges start to decay.

But this is the model the US set up and now it has painted itself into a corner in this fashion and many others.