[isaidso]

Originally Posted by dleung

I'd imagine it's the same individualistic cultural forces in America that favor private cars over transit, stand-your-ground laws, ownership of firearms, private healthcare, private schools, private prisons, etc. There is less institutionalization of the greater good.

I suppose you're right. There's simply more government intervention in Canada to mitigate perceived negative effects of market forces. We often want things (big houses on big lots) that aren't best for the country overall. In Canada we attempt to curtail some of that while in the US it's allowed to run its course to a greater extent. I ton of Canadians would like a brand new 3000 square foot detached house on a big lot in one of the big cities but the supply of them doesn't come close to satisfying the demand for them. Prices for them are jacked up to the point that only a small fraction of people that want them can afford to buy one.

We have no city like Atlanta, for instance.