Garden square

Such community courtyards date back to at least Ur in 2000 BC where two-storey houses were built of fired brick around an open square.

Others, while publicly accessible, are largely used by local residents and retain the character of garden squares or small communal parks.

[2] Many were built or rebuilt during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, at the height of Georgian architecture, and are surrounded by townhouses.

The act provided enhanced legal protection to garden squares and other public spaces, ensuring they were preserved against inappropriate development and remained accessible for community enjoyment.

It was inaugurated in 1612 with a grand carrousel to celebrate the engagement of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria and is a prototype of the residential squares of European cities that were to come.

Famously, it has remained private and gated throughout its existence; possession of a key to the park is a jealously guarded privilege that only certain local residents enjoy.

The tradition of fee simple land ownership in American cities has made collective amenities such as garden squares comparatively rare.

Rittenhouse Square in the Center City, Philadelphia encases a public garden, one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century.

The Kingstowne development in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Washington, DC, contains several townhouse complexes built around garden squares.