I lived in a suburb that had shopping and a city park in easy walking distance as a kid and it was pretty awesome. I now live in one where the nearest business is 2 miles away and it sucks. Both in the US and with wildly different experiences.

I also lived in a fairly dense residential area that was great as there were businesses in walking distance that were fun to go to, and another where there were businesses, but they all sucked so I had to drive somewhere else.

The real problem is the separation if residential and business zoning to such a degree that going to any business requires transportation.