People picture the wrong thing, usually soul crushing tower block. Picture Savannah, Charleston, small college towns, ... Dense, but spacious, accommodating, lush, verdant.

If the surroundings are low quality, then yes, density sucks. If the surrounding area is high quality, density makes things better. More things closer. It's awesome.

Money talks too. The denser, walkable areas are always the most expensive. Market is underserved in much of this country.