It all depends upon where you are. Some of the suburban areas of SD have been very well planned. I can walk to coffee shops, restaurants, supermarkets, schools, parks, bookstores, wine bars, a yoga studio and even an Apple Store in 5 to 10 minutes. Sometimes I jump on my bike and take a nice ride to the beach and have even run their a few times. Its all about good planning. Carlsbad is a great example. It is very well laid out with a large employment/industrial area along Palomar Airport Road. Well designed master planned communities with shopping nearby but separated enough so as not to impact the quality of life. The I go to San Marcos and see the sprawl you speak of. They built everything and the city has come a long way but it looks like no one had a grand vision when the opportunity to have one was there 30 years ago.