Alas, north Americans really do not know how to live in apartments. Mostly, apartment dwellers are regarded as second class citizens. When the common wisdom tells everyone the road to middle-class wealth and financial freedom is through house ownership, people will buy the biggest one they can afford, with the highest leverage they can get away with. Apartment dwellers are regarded as those who do not have such drive and ambition, ie, they are lesser humans.
I would love to find a nice, small, comfortable, upscale apartment in the city, that has such 21st century luxuries like sound insulation, laundry, and common area cleaning services, and is inhabited by people who are socialized and civilized. But, monster houses are for people with money, apartments are for people who have none. The quality of the accommodations reflect that.
High gas prices aren't gonna fix anything, unless they double or triple.