You know what provides that atmosphere? New York. Or SF. Or Boston, Seattle, Austin--pretty much any city.
Ignoring that many people don't live near large cities like these, how should a 17-year old support themselves? What would they do instead of going to school? Waiting tables isn't scalable--there aren't enough restaurants.
If people are willing to move for college they should be willing to move for "uncollege" (and people who aren't willing to move are in trouble; see Detroit). Likewise, borrowing ~$12K/year for living expenses should be less burdensome than borrowing ~$40K/year for college.
(Although I don't think those particular objections are valid, I'm still not in favor of the "uncollege" concept.)
Ignoring that many people don't live near large cities like these, how should a 17-year old support themselves? What would they do instead of going to school? Waiting tables isn't scalable--there aren't enough restaurants.