Lily Bernheimer, writing for Reasons to Be Cheerful, examines the “missing middle” housing that isn’t merely about mid-density dwellings which typically get the attention of that phrase: courtyard communities.

Living at the Salemi compound for 17 years, Dolan realized that its Mediterranean-style site plan fostered the kind of vibrant neighborly interaction that staves off isolation. The layout of the average American block — with front entrances around the external perimeter and private, fenced-off yards in the center — was essentially reversed here, where residents typically enter their homes through the commonly held central courtyard.