DISAPPEARING CITY BACKYARDS

Backyards today are being lost to higher-density housing. Backyards are the most local of green spaces – an environment where city dwellers can retreat from the pressures of daily life. But in modern city planning focussed on making cities more compact, a large backyard is often seen as undesirable because of the space it consumes.

“Such beautiful sources of shade in the backyards of cities (see picture) are becoming fewer and fewer. Yet such places are a real benefit for the coexistence of the inhabitants, as one can meet outside to talk and get to know the neighbours better.” ~ Green is a Mission