With so many houses oriented to the privacy of backyards, one street in St. Louis has redefined neighborly by orienting their sitting and relaxation areas to the front yard.
Kim Palmer writes: "Want to make your neighborhood friendlier? Consider adding a front-yard patio ... some pavers, a few plants, a couple of comfy chairs — and, voilà! — instant summer socializing."
According to Palmer, front-yard patios have become "contagious" in recent years in the St. Louis neighborhood of Minikahda Vista. And according to one source quoted in the article, from a landscaping business based in Minneapolis, the trend toward front yard patios is evident in other neighborhoods as well.
Read the full story: Front-yard patios spark socializing on one St. Louis Park block
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello