There may be some truth to this quote.

Buildings do become increasingly inefficient as they get taller. For one, more and more space and energy has to be devoted to elevators and other ways to move people vertically. (If you've ever played SimTower, you might have some understanding of this phenomenon.) Skyscrapers are a result of too many people and too little horizontal space; in places where land isn't as expensive as in Manhattan, it's usually better (and cheaper) to build outward rather than build upward.