This is not sustainable at all - they require lots of space, materials, they are expensive... Dense cities and tall buildings are, surprisingly, much more material and energy efficient than this.
Your correct. The Urban density of London for example is so low compared to New York. Because of shoddy building in the sixties and poor maintenance from the 60's on the British are not fans of high rise.
A lot of Brits are obsessed with owning a small house with two gardens and a drive only to leave the gardens to go over grown!
