Thorsten Bürklin/Michael Peterek

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Rows can flexibly fill gaps and intermediate spaces in this urban structure, and they can also be easily connected to other urban elements such as city blocks, ribbons or solitaries.

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One famous example in north America is Manhattan. Founded by Dutch immigrants, it uses an chessboard-like pattern as a basis for its urban layout. However, its current cityscape with high-rises and skyscrapers differs radically from traditional city blocks, where buildings are not as tall.

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The courtyard often serves as an urban design model for collective(or cooperative) housing. It offers residents a point of reference and a centre for creating spaces with a degree of privacy and tranquillity, removed from hustle and bustle of the surrounding city.

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Sometimes arcades can create shortcuts that optimize the access network of the city, at least for pedestrians.

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However, the lack of space in densely built cities often means that solitaries do not stand completely alone. They often spatially integrated into the side of a city square, a building line or a building group.