We consider yards to be our sanctuaries but with their underutilization are they really necessary?    

The yard has long been viewed as a necessity for children.  It is symbolic of the opportunity for children to run free in their own private space free of worries and fears from perceived dangers.  Many parents view private green spaces as an essential component to creating healthy children, and without a child could potentially suffer.  Along with education it is one of the primary reasons that families choose to leave the city.  But multiple surveys and studies have indicated that private green space is underutilized, and if this is true then what function does the yard really serve?

As a country we spend $40 billion per year on personal lawn care.  This does not include water, time, and energy that is lost to maintaining the perfectly manicured lawn.  $40 billion dollars that could be used to enhance our education system, improve transportation options, and ensure that all children have access to recreation and play. Environmental costs aside, this expense has evolved into a behemoth of an industry for the sake of creating outdoor living spaces which turns out we hardly ever use.

Based on an article by USA Today in 2012 the average child spends 40 minutes per week utilizing private outdoor green space.  The average adult spends 15 minutes per week.  Per week.  The sacred front yard, which has evolved into a mere decorative element with the decline of the front porch and stoop, and the sanctuary that is supposed to be the back yard are used less often than XXXXX.  Given that children are barely spending more time in their yards than an average sitcom, has its relevancy as reasoning for relocating to more sprawling communities dying? 

Yards have developed into a labor-intensive source of neighborhood pride.  A quick and accessible means for prospective residents to assess the quality of a neighborhood and for neighbors to judge one another.  Fire pits, trampolines, gazebos, and intricate paving and plantings dot the suburban landscape in an attempt to make small individual sanctuaries from the everyday life.  But in a built environment that depends on long haul commutes and super scheduling of daily lives, their function and utility have been diminished to sources of symbolism and indicators of affluence rather than a source of recreation and play.  The intended reprieve from work and the ever day has been folded into the long list of scheduled chores and errand inducing amenities.

Many argue that the rise of technology and more screen time, as well as parents unwilling to encourage more outdoor activity, has led to the decline in outdoor play and subsequently the underutilization of private green space.  Regardless of how one may feel about the role technology plays in child activity the private yard remains a wasteful amenity. In addition to its wasteful allocation of land, restricting children to private green space undercuts opportunities for social interaction and engagement.   It worsens the helicopter parenting that is paralyzing children from opportunity and learning, and inhibiting self discovery.   Even if families made greater use of their yards it continues to limit a child's opportunity for more diverse engagement and life lessons that are often found in public playgrounds and parks. 

There are certainly families out there that make much better use of their private green space than the averages indicate.  But it would appear that most do not.  And while we could lobby harder for families to spend more time in their yards, living in an environment that is predicated on seclusion and privacy is not likely to turn front yards or back yards into social hotbeds.  Time spent outdoors and in recreation should enhance opportunities for community and social engagement, not reinforce the fortress like mindset that besieges so many communities.

As tax payers we are already funding green spaces in our communities.  Rather than continuing to waste time, energy, and money on private green space that is underutilized we should make greater use of our public spaces and encourage the creation of more, including shared spaces.  Multi-family developments and traditional neighborhood developments allow for, and encourage, opportunities to create green spaces that can be shared by an entire community.  Courtyard housing creates tremendous opportunities for shared space.  When shared spaces are scaled at a more intimate level that is relatable to a neighborhood they can create opportunities for social engagement and a greater sense of community.  They compliment our larger parks which serve as city and community nodes. 

If we are to demonstrate that parks and community green spaces can substitute for private green space then we need to think smaller and to think more.  There is tremendous value in large-scale parks particularly in urban communities.  Parks such as Atlanta's Piedmont Park remain as crowning jewels.  But they need to be supported by a network of smaller and more frequent spaces as well.  This creates the opportunity for a visit to the park to be less about a journey to a destination, and more about the casual visit or accidental discovery.  We need to make these spaces easy to find and frequent enough where going to the park isn't an event that has to be scheduled and planned for like so many of our other daily routines, but resembles the casual nature of stepping outside of one's front door and quickly discovering a space of play and relaxation.  

A major component to making city life accessible and feasible for families is to make things that appear to be difficult or are more challenging than suburban environments much easier.  Easy access to parks and play opportunities will be essential to enhancing this ease.  While the city should play the role of an extended living room or yard, enhancing access to recreational space creates an opportunity to transform urban walkable neighborhoods into true communities.  

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