I haven't phrased it very well, I meant to say _american_ style suburbs are very... wasteful on resources, land and capital. European cities have suburbs as well, they are just usually 4-6 store tall buildings close to metro stations with row-houses and detached houses a bit farther out.

Detached houses are not the main means of living for most people in Europe, but if you want one you can still get one, it just costs more than an apartment (especially in colder countries).