World Building: The Forgotten Aspect?

Okay, after reading some books within the Speculative Fiction genres, I am left wondering...

...What happened to World Building?

You see, I am a major World Building fanatic. I love WoBu. The book could have a dull premise, a protagonist I want to strangle, an antagonist who makes me rolls my eyes, and the most chemistry lacking love interest in the history of love interests, but got freaking amazing world building that makes me drool at the idea of living in the world? You can tattoo 'FAN' to my forehead. (Just, keep me far away from your annoying as hell protag.)

I'm starting to believe WoBu is becoming the forgotten step child in a lot of stories. There have been a growing number of stories where WoBu is either supremely glossed over or is just executed horribly.

Writers seem to forget that the key to world building is BALANCE. For every awesome pleasentry there needs to be a major downfall. This is what makes a world come alive, and if a world can come alive, I truely believe lots of other aspects will naturally follow.

I've noticed a big complaint in Dystopia lately (other than it's more crowded than the Stanley Cup Final game with a Canadian team in it.) is that a lot of these authors aren't taking time to really develop their worlds. They are forgetting what makes the genre is the rules and ground work of a fallen/broken/overly controlled society, not that the protagonist(s) only feel that way.

I really believe WoBu can make a stroy transcend. I've never read LOTR, but I can basically explain how the world works. Any decent HP reader can name a half dozen flaws in the magic system (I challenge SC to name 100). It can be fun to see the contraints of the world work against a character or work with them. To see the world control and move the plot just as much as the protagonist or antagonist. To see fans talk and dream about walking along the grasses and breath the air of the world, not to meet the characters, but because the world is so alive, the door to it lies just beyond their eyelids.

That is what I crave.

So, how come so many authors skipping over this aspect? Is it time contraints? Lack of talent? Lack of knowledge? Or am I really becoming alone in my belief of the power WoBu can bring to a dull and overused premise?

Maybe I just need to still trudge to find that story that will have the WoBu that will blow me out of the water or maybe I need to lower my expectations.

Or maybe, just maybe, that world I'm craving is at the end of my own pentip.