> Suburbs don’t exist because of some big oil and auto company conspiracy. They exist because they give people an option they find more appealing vs urban areas.

No, modern car-dependent suburbs actually do exist because of oil and auto conspiracies. There exist options between high density and car-dependency. Surburbs can be walkable, and cities can have walkable low-density areas.

Your typical modern American suburb is homes that would be three family homes 60 years ago on land that would fit three of those homes let alone a normal size house. All of this is subsidized by tax write-offs and gasoline that is 50% discounted relative to the rest of the developed world. Not much freedom of movement when everything even a neighbor is a 15 minute drive away either due to sprawl or trafic.