This is a really thoughtful description of your block, which sounds like a genuinely pleasant environment, and I can see why the setbacks and lack of party walls feel like such a benefit in that context.

One important difference, though, is density. A block with ~25 households on 1.35 hectares is relatively low density, even if it’s near transit. The system I’m describing is trying to solve a different problem: how to accommodate something closer to 150–200 households on a ~2-acre block while still making it work for families.

In many higher-density parts of Chicago, especially on busier streets, front yards don’t function the way you’re describing. Even with setbacks, traffic volumes and speeds make them difficult for small children to use comfortably, and in practice they often become more of a buffer than a usable space. There’s also the everyday issue that these front areas tend to be used by passersby for dog toileting, which limits their usefulness for sitting, play, or gardening.

So the question becomes: where does usable family space go when you scale up density?

That’s where the block configuration matters. If you organize buildings as wider, shallower forms, and place the primary window walls along the wide dimension facing unobstructed space (either the street or an interior courtyard), you can get very strong light and ventilation—even with party walls on the sides. The key is that the main living façades aren’t facing directly into adjacent buildings, but onto open, shared space.

So it’s less about choosing between setbacks and party walls, and more about two different spatial strategies:

Lower-density model (your block): deeper lots, setbacks, separation → light and comfort through distance

Higher-density courtyard model: shallower buildings, shared interior open space, wider primary façades → light and comfort through orientation and geometry

Both approaches can work well, but they’re optimized for different conditions. Once you move into higher-density, higher-traffic urban environments, shifting the most usable outdoor space away from the street and into protected interior courtyards tends to produce spaces that families can actually use day to day.

Your block shows how well setbacks can perform when everything lines up. The courtyard approach is trying to replicate that same livability—but at a much higher intensity of use, where the street edge alone can’t carry that burden.