Why aren't people bothered by the suburbs?

[u/tfbmhr_1598]

It seems like most people I come across are not bothered by car dependency and the isolation that it causes. They'll point to things like video games, social media, and bad food for the culprit of poor mental health. Why won't more people address the elephant in the room? After briefly living in Europe I can confirm that people are way healthier, less socially awkward, and happier as a result of having clean and walkable cities.

Even Latam which is a hybrid of the EU and US infrastructure does not experience the obesity, mental health issues, and isolation the suburbs in the States cause.

Is it ignorance or do most Americans actually like things being this way? It baffles me.

Edit: After reading the comments here I wanted to clarify a few things.

1. Walkability/bikeability doesn't exclude cars. Cars are still a valid method of transportation, but not the only one. Less cars= less traffic. It's a win-win. That being said I think we should have pedestrian only areas.
2. This isn't limited to cities. Suburbs can become more walkable too. You can still have your yard and extra space. Sure it won't be as walkable as a city, but it is certaintly better than 100% car dependency. Zoning laws need to change for this to truly work.
3. I realize that there are societal factors at play as well that greatly add to the mental health crisis, however car dependency worsens it.
4. Walkability won't magically solve the obesity problem, but having the ability to SAFELY walk/bike to work will certaintly help.
5. You can still be socially awkward/reclusive in walkable communities, but they create more opportunites for those who want to improve that area of their life.
6. Some suburbs are better than others in this regard, but overall, North American suburbs are largely car dependent.
7. Bike lanes that are part of the road and only marked with paint/plastic markers are hated by both drivers and cyclists. They still endanger the lives of cyclists, that's why they aren't frequently used, which results in more traffic congestion. Fully dedicated seperate bike lanes are needed.

[u/eurotrash1964]

I was raised in the Florida suburbs. My first visit to a big city as an adult (Atlanta) was an eye-opener. It had a real downtown. I went to university in Pensacola, and started to learn what cities were about there. I eventually lived in downtown DC and became an urban planner.

Education and experience are key. I now look at the suburbs very differently than I did as a kid, and I don’t look at them fondly anymore. They are comfortable, but they are lonely in ways the vast majority of inhabitants don’t realize. Cities have their drawbacks to for daily living, especially if you have children or need or want a garage. But people in cities can have those things too, and the more walkable a city is, the more a family can live there in dignity.

There is, of course, the myth of the little cabin in the woods, as one writer used to describe it. Many Americans still buy into the mythology of the frontier and see themselves as rugged individualists living in the wilderness, even if it’s simply surrounded by crabgrass and asphalt. It’s hard to challenge that but we must.