Editing Courtyard (section)

== Relevance today ==
[[File:Fort Hall Replica, Courtyard, Pocatello ID.jpeg|thumb|180px|[[Fort Hall]] replica, the courtyard, Pocatello, Idaho]]
[[File:Kaapelitehdas inside yard.jpg|thumb|180px|The courtyard of [[Kaapelitehdas]] in [[Helsinki]], Finland]]
More and more, architects are investigating ways that courtyards can play a role in the development of today's homes and cities. In densely populated areas, a courtyard in a home can provide privacy for a family, a break from the frantic pace of everyday life, and a safe place for children to play. With space at a premium, architects are experimenting with courtyards as a way to provide outdoor space for small communities of people at a time. A courtyard surrounded by 12 houses, for example, would provide a shared park-like space for those families, who could take pride in ownership of the space. Though this might sound like a modern-day solution to an inner city problem, the grouping of houses around a shared courtyard was common practice among the [[Inca Empire|Incas]] as far back as the 13th century{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.

In [[San Francisco]], the floor plans of "marina style" houses often include a central [[patio]], a miniature version of an open courtyard, sometimes covered with glass or a translucent material. Central patios provide natural light to common areas and space for potted outdoor plants.  In Gilgit/Baltistan, Pakistan, courtyards were traditionally used for public gatherings where village related issues were discussed. These were different from jirgahs, which are a tradition of the tribal regions of Pakistan.