alternatives to the detached single family home

The real estate value of this house is astonishing, primarily because it is located in one of the most charming neighborhoods in the United States. I haven't been inside it, but I've had an opportunity to study its floor plan and I'm not quite certain that I would be happy living in it. The footprint of the structure is relatively small and the living spaces are organized vertically. A central staircase also has the effect of dividing the living spaces on each floor. Consequently, moving from the kitchen to the living room--which is a common pilgrimage in most American houses every evening--becomes a journey that isolates one part of the dwelling from another. More significantly,the occupants of bedrooms on the very top floor have a long descent to the kitchen every morning.

I'm biased towards horizontal arrangements of living. The efficiency afforded by a house like this in terms of land usage doesn't impress me and I'm not sure how to create a spatial model that would overcome the vertical barriers.