Any any industry rooted in the natural resources of an area breeds communities that are located near them. I think most people _prefer_ settling near work if possible.
I guess I find it unfortunate that small but strong communities are a dying breed. A healthy community to live in is an essential part of a quality life. It's quite literally the foundation of modern society, and I sense that the concentration of populations in huge cities is only further compounding the challenges we face (climate change, economic inequality, the overall health of a population)
On the contrary, dense populations allow for the efficient distribution of goods and services. There may be an aesthetic argument in favor of small town living but there isn’t an environmental one.
Obviously we need both rural and urban areas, but I suppose my "born in a small town" bias wants a better balance between the two than we currently have. For the benefit of both!
I would suggest it is not as cut and dry as you suggest, and is heavily dependent on where the population centres are. For the majority of towns and towns folk, there is a deeper connection to the surrounding environment and what it provides. Rural populations get much of what sustains them from the nearby surroundings, be it through gardens, hunting and fishing, local agriculture etc. You would be hard presses to find big city populations that do the same in anywhere near the same percentage.
I lived in a small, northern town for 20 year, and currently live in the heart of downtown of a major city. The difference could not be more contrasting.