They could actually be liveable if you removed the driveway and yard, and added a frequent bus service on every other street, as well as a tram line/subway stop in the neighborhood, and a market square with mixed zoning. It could be more thermally efficient, too, with the houses touching. Or just build blocks of flats at this point, they are cheap, dense and not as uncomfortable as shotgun homes. However, I am sure that US regulations would never allow that.