In A Pattern Language, a landmark collection of observations on the ways that people use space, architect Christopher Alexander and his colleagues note that the single most important fact about a building is this: “People use open space if it is sunny, and do not use it if it isn’t, in all but desert climates.” In a study of a residential street in Berkeley, Alexander found that residents on the north side of the street didn’t use their backyards. Instead, they sat in the small front yards next to the sidewalk while the backyards collected junk.
