>and ample choice for those who want to have a 'big house' vs. 'smaller home' vs. 'urban flat'.
As long as you don't actually want a big property and cars at a middle class cost. In the many US suburbs, you can get a 3000 Sq ft home with a two car garage (not included in the area calc) for less than $200k and be within a half hour drive from a major city center.
So those German cities are only 'ideal' if you have different priorities.
No, they arent really compatible. Good transportation requires high density or or high property values to pay the taxes required to build it.
I'm not aware of any city in the world where someone can purchase a 3000 Sq ft+ property with a two car garage for less than 4x the average annual family income and have access to amazing public transportation.
Everywhere has busses, trams, trains and cities have subway.
If you really want a huge home and want to 'ride public transit' - then it's possible to get one near or by a bus route, or a short walk from the station at the village.
Or you can buy a little further out, and drive 2 minutes to the village and catch the train when needed.
"Good transportation requires high density or or high property values to pay the taxes required to build it."
No, it just requires foresight, social buy in and a tax base.
Almost everywhere in Europe has really good transport - and it actually is possible to buy big homes, very few want them.
I have been to Europe, many times. Any houses actually near good public transportation (good = frequent and wide reaching enough to not need a car), are either small or very expensive.
>Almost everywhere in Europe has really good transport
No, it doesn't. If your bar for good public transportation is a bus route and a drive to a nearby train station, then the US has good public transportation as well because every city has buses.
Good transportation is within the cities like Paris, Vienna, Rome, London. Trains run at least every 10 minutes and can get you nearly anywhere in the city within a half hour. It has to be good enough that it's actually faster and more convenient than driving. All of the houses on these train stops are very expensive or very small (or both if you're in London).
As long as you don't actually want a big property and cars at a middle class cost. In the many US suburbs, you can get a 3000 Sq ft home with a two car garage (not included in the area calc) for less than $200k and be within a half hour drive from a major city center.
So those German cities are only 'ideal' if you have different priorities.