I realize I'm generalizing. I'm specifically talking about dense urban housing with access to public transport. I'm not sure about the tenement house counter example. Can you explain? Dense, million-dollar condo towers on the outskirts of town in Florida do not support urban density in my view, so I would not agree with that example. I don't see the parallels between beach condos and Amazon corner. 

From my understanding, people living in dense-urban dwellings use 1/3 the energy of someone living in a rural single-family home.  The "Stack and pack" development we see in the U.S. may support developers profit, but also decreases per capita energy usage and slows suburban sprawl.  You say durable, affordable, small dwellings support the environment, yet oppose "stack and pack". I find that interesting. There ARE building codes btw.  If the market demands a certain dwelling size, developers will try to capture that market. Amazon corner isn't "stack and pack" to begin with.... so?