This seems partly a straw man. I don't think the author would say not to build open plazas. They're very much a part of traditional cities.
That is a nice street in London. I expect housing prices are high. I also expect housing prices are even higher in areas with narrower streets.
We can talk in the abstract about what people "would prefer", but looking at actual choices is more instructive. Residential privacy is one of those things you can learn to do without. Many people would say that London street has no privacy.
People have different preferences, but I've seen no evidence that people don't like narrow streets, even narrower than the one found in your image.
That is a nice street in London. I expect housing prices are high. I also expect housing prices are even higher in areas with narrower streets.
We can talk in the abstract about what people "would prefer", but looking at actual choices is more instructive. Residential privacy is one of those things you can learn to do without. Many people would say that London street has no privacy.
People have different preferences, but I've seen no evidence that people don't like narrow streets, even narrower than the one found in your image.