LANEWAYS

Laneways of Oak Bay and Fairfield, Summer 2010. 
(Laneways are narrow alleys behind buildings common in British Columbia, Canada.)

Photographs by Victoria (British Columbia, Canada) artist Ali Bosworth.
-http://www.alibosworth.com/

    “[The setback regulations] require larger front setbacks than side and rear setbacks to promote open, visually pleasing front yards.” Portland, OR.

Is it possible, then, that this complete deprivation of an owner’s right to build upon the front of his lot reflects a purely aesthetic judgment?  That judgment being, impliedly, that a patch of Kentucky bluegrass, to be forever mowed and fertilized, is more “visually pleasing” than the house that would otherwise be located there, and furthermore that his aesthetic concern overrides all competing concerns, including those of land values, efficient use of land, property rights and alternative notions of good urban design. - http://oldurbanist.blogspot.com