I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
I'm a strong proponent of New Urbanism and urban living. However, the location of my job and the configuration of the Orlando area road system have forced me to resort to suburban living if I want to have a reasonable commute. The lack of New Urbanist/neotraditional development near the job means that I have one of three choices:
1) Live in a single family hosue in a conventional suburban subdivision.
2) Live in an urban environment, and face a 30 to 35 minute one-way commute.
3) Live in a single family house in an older, middle class enclave of a town close to work, where most residents acknowledge Dale Earnhardt as their personal lord and savior.
I have one or two night meetings a week, so (2) wasn't an option. I think of my house as an investment, so (3) wasn't an option. Thus, the cul-de-sac.
If it means anything, when I lived in Denver I had an 85 m2 house in an urban neighborhood 3 km from downtown.