I used to live in an apartment then decided to buy a house for reasons such as wanting to have a yard / outdoor space (wanted to buy a big dog among others), leave city life for suburban life for peace & quiet, family-proof (place where I’d want hypothetical kids to grow up in), etc. After experiencing both I prefer house over apartment.
Location is the most iportant, meaning that the realistic option is appartment
Can get fresh breakfast on the week-end with a 5 minutes walk, and do not need to plan a weekly grocery trip when I have everything down the stairs
Do not need to drive home if I get a drink
Have access to tons of activities within a reasonable distance, no matter whether I want to learn Korean, watch stand-up comedy or listen to underground heavy metal
Kids can quickly get some autonomy compared to suburb where road are full of cars and parents need a car to go every where.
I think I lucked out because I live in the suburbs, but it’s a very walkable suburb. There are sidewalks, there is public transportation, and I can walk to the grocery store and back in under a mile.
There are parks nearby within walking distance, with sidewalks between my house and the park for kids to play in, and all of the main streets have bike lanes.
I live in America, this is not like European normal standard.
Oregon and Washington and most of California have a lot going for it as far as human amenities in suburban spaces.