Absence of suburbia != crowds and noise.

There's a level of isolation in the suburban US that's hard to put into words if you haven't experienced any alternatives. That may also be true for other developed nations, I don't have first hand experience.

I have experienced alternatives a good part of my life. The words I'd use to describe American suburbs are: quiet, green, peaceful. I get that many people are scared to be alone, but that's entirely in their heads.

Thank goodness somebody else realizes that not everyone likes to be crammed in small areas with lots of other people. It’s amazing how much diversity (which is a good thing!) is praised by many of the same people who think everyone likes big cities because they like big cities.