Courtyard housing is a distinct medium-density multi-family housing typology centered on a shared outdoor open space or garden and surrounded by one or two stories of apartment units typically only accessed by courtyard from the street (and not by an interior corridor).
Courtyard housing developed independently in many cultures around the world as a response to particular local needs and economic and social factors.
The courtyard housing typology in the US was developed in the Los Angeles area in the 1920s by several small-scale developers in response to the region's climate and housing needs, and typically adopted a Mediterranean or Spanish Colonial architectural style.
The courtyards would be quiet and shaded outdoor spaces that served as a transition between the street and the individual apartment units, and were primarily aesthetic and non-recreational in nature.
In the years following, the typology was implemented across the United States until around the time of World War II, when the automobile became more dominant in daily life and had more of an impact on the built environment; newer housing typologies were developed in response to it, such as the dingbat.