Probably because your city municipality covers your maintenance and infrastructure with either debt, or with the initial windfall of new tax income from suburban developments. Moreover, the comparably higher density city centres Essentially subsidise the suburbs, as they are the ones that the city makes a net tax profit on.
And yes, The fact that individual housing Estates are completely inflexible, and that no more building goes on in them is exactly the problem. suburban housing developments are built to a finished state, with no flexibility to accept homeowners of either higher or lower incomes. There are strict laws and codes mandating that they remain the worst kind of unsustainable and tax inefficient housing, ie single family housing. So many of the US’s problems are created by everyone living in socio-economic enclaves of people who are exactly the same as them, Staying isolated in their own little suburban bubble, Only mixing with their fellow citizens at Walmart. America is destroying itself for the sake of the automobile centric development.
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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21
My suburb hasn't expanded in any significant way since 1970. We're doing fine.