Very much not just a southern thing.
There is a huge amount of cheap, cookie-cutter housing in American suburbia. In fact, I suspect a large majority of single family suburban houses built in the last 50 years are rubber stamp clones from homebuilder planbooks.
[0]: http://www.archdaily.com/604056/north-america-s-radiant-city...
The current alternative that US prefers is far worse, in my opinion -- these micro-unit apod-ment things, with no personal space, no outdoor space, grossly overburdened personal-areas-forced-into-common-areas, and general dorm-room-for-life lifestyle.
So in America where you have the same McMansion replicated 10-20 times in CHcina you have the same condo tower since it has to house more densely.
You should visit the projects in the NY area or chicago. There are rows and rows of same red apartment complexes. But those seem to be falling out of favor now as they are being torn down.
That line caught my attention for two things.
One, it intimates internet access is related to freedom, which I think has merit.
And second, Google, Facebook, and YouTube are obviously not essential, cause those millions get by just fine without them.
What's more, in parts of China where these websites aren't blocked (Hong Kong, Taiwan if we call it a part of China), they become very popular again and the mainland Chinese alternatives fall off the map.
This is why such sites without real alternatives should be controlled by society, and not by companies where two people hold the majority of voting rights.
I can also give the example of Japan and Korea in which Facebook is not very popular.
Most of foreigners traveling in China would certainly disagree with you. No Facebook, no Gmail, no Youtube == "no Internet" for most casual western users.
Communities that grow organically look messy and gross. And there's a certain personality type that wants to come in and fix the mess.
But it just doesn't turn out to work that way.
-Central Park is a desirable place to spend time, unlike the artificial, pseudopublic spaces that separate highrise complexes.
-Population density is _much_ higher in those neighborhoods than you get with multi-building highrise complexes.
-There are shops nearby that, along with the park, provide a reason for people to spend time there throughout the day. People don't like spending time in deserted plazas.
Have you ever lived in a high-rise surrounded by open space? A lot of people, myself included, really like it.
You're stating your own personal preference as if it were some universal fact.
You also seem to have a limited understanding of housing design. For example, lots of Corbusier-inspired high-rise developments have shops and restaurants mixed in among the parks and buildings.
I suspect the bulk of the complaints people have with high-rise housing projects for low-income residents in the US are driven more by the policies and operations of low-income housing - lack of maintenance, poor security, etc. The design model has worked out quite well for higher income residents in plenty of places - even in the US, for example, near south Florida beaches.
If Larry or Sergei die, do you trust all their inheritors? Do you trust all people who can threaten Larry or Sergei?
I don't.
And that's why you should trust the chinese government, Google, private internet access, etc all equally much.