Modern Chinese buildings manage both, having 30 storey buildings and green areas in between them. The area my aunt lives in in Wuhan has 5 or so towers surrounding a little communal green space with exercise equipment, children's playground, trees and flowers and a communal square. Also the ground floor of the towers generally have general stores, barbers, ping pong and mahjong tables and a pharmacist. Underground parking with a bus stop on the main street. It's pretty cool, actually. I don't think I've ever witnessed any housing that's that dense and still has a decent sense of community and character.

My grandmother, however, still lives in an old ass brutalist apartment complex with just a (relatively) large communal rec room in the middle with just ping pong tables and old timers chain smoking indoors while playing Chinese checkers. There used to be more than half a dozen trees but as people started owning cars, most of them were cut down for a parking lot.

The difference between housing built in the 80's and last decade is night and day.

The buildings aren't too tall

If the buildings aren't massive skyscraper housing blocks, don't invite me to socialism (jk jk)

looks like the sand on the right might even be easy beach access for the residents.