[Always Sunny in SLC]

Understanding the dynamics in each city/region and how that impacts how they develop are not excuses. The reasons why SLC or any other area develop the way they do is complex and multidimensional. Of course demand is the biggest part of it, but understanding the situation helps determine WHY demand is not as high as it could be. Your desire to call anything outside of your reasons "excuses" is intellectually lazy. If researchers were to study this phenomenon they would look at many factors and most likely come to a conclusion that is far more complex than what you are offering. If for example we compare Phoenix and SLC, it is noteworthy to notice that their downtown is in the middle of the metro region and has much smaller blocks. I highly doubt that Phoenix has any less of a sprawl impulse than SLC does, so these factors could be important in understanding the difference. Once we understand the causes we can advocate for policies that address the issue. For instance, we can more aggressively limit the footprint of a building relative to height which creates de facto smaller blocks.