The problem with US cities is that they're not dense enough. Most of the US has spent the past half-centry actively making new high-density construction illegal or incredibly expensive, so everything is operating within the bounds of 1970s-80s construction being reused over and over again because it was grandfathered in.
BS. European cities are just as bad.
And the US cities resisted the urbanism blight for longer than Europe thanks to a much better design.
And Europe is now paying price for its density obsession. You see it as a rising tide of far-right movements in Europe.
Interesting jump there. Not sure what you mean by blight though?
People being forced by economic forces to move into uncomfortable and unaffordable dense cities. This in turn creates disadvantaged underclass with no hopes for a better future. And even European social safety nets can only do so much.
While just hours away from dense cities, the apartments are often literally free. With copious space and easy access to basic services.
This results in rising crime. The downward trend that started in 90-s had been reversed. And the crimes of despair, mainly drug-related crimes, are rising faster than violent crimes.