> In other countries and cities insulated from these changes, the criticisms fall flat.

Yes and no. Much of the world does a better job with their cities than the U.S., and as a result there is a little more demand for that type of development.

But overall, preferences are shockingly similar across cultures.

Anywhere people have the means to afford automobiles, they tend to buy them and increasingly embrace a suburban life style, at least at an aggregate level. If you look at new construction in places like Western Europe or China, a lot of new development is very similar to what you see in the U.S., with a bit of local flavor thrown in.