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Transforming residential streets to urban courtyards

Decrepit, unused space can be a hazard - or an opportunity. By closing off residential roads and creating parks in the middle of the street, communities can have a space to play, congregate and dig--raising home values and drawing out community. When population plummets in a city, spaces that were once bustling begin to go empty. Vacant lots pose a hazard; infrequented streets symbolize the loss. But space in an urban area can be blessing, often a hot commodity, what urbanites yearn for in suburban and rural living. 

Some cities have begun allowing residents to transform their streets into green spaces, closing off the street and creating a park. Their doors all open on to their shared 'courtyard.' By getting 80% of the home-owners to sign on to a petition that they want a park, residents not only create a green-space to let their children play in, they also begin to create a community,  crafting a collective vision for what they want their block to look like. 

Allowing their kids space to run around together (supervised by just glancing out the window, or yelling "dinner"), creating vegetable plots and dog-romps, or simply quiet spots for reading, the residents begin to create a personalized outdoor community center. These courtyards have the potential to begin to address the urban challenges of food deserts and lack of spaces for safe outdoor exercise, as well as simply transform what each resident walks out on to in the mornings.

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