Why don't cities build alleys anymore?

[flowmotion]

They're actually making a bit of a resurgence- modern design theory says that it fosters better neighborhood camaraderie and sense of place when houses aren't dominated in the front by their garage. Could be a bunch of hogwash, but they are making a little bit of a comeback.

My theory is so they can cram more houses into smaller lots.   The front of the homes still have curb appeal and  the functionality of a garage.  ...all at the expense of a backyard, privacy, security, etc.  In the Puget Sound area, the homes in newer neighborhoods with alleys are cheaper than nearby newer houses with garages and backyards.   

Not necessarily smaller lots, but narrower lots. The home I grew up in had an alley but the yards were still pretty sizable. In theory, a neighborhood with narrower lots is more walkable, however this depends on a lot of other factors.

Incidentally, the alley seemed to be the place where the neighbors 'hung out' and talked with each other, rather than the front yards.

I bring it up only because I'm familiar with the town (actually, borough), but Pitman, NJ has a spoke-and-wheel area of named alleyways that are only a sidewalk-width wide: http://goo.gl/maps/lRWnv.  Zooming in, you can see that cars are generally parked behind the houses within the open area of the spokes.

That's pretty neat, if I had to move to that town, I'd like to live in the wheel. That must be a remnant of an ancient town plan.

[Landshark]

Not necessarily smaller lots, but narrower lots. The home I grew up in had an alley but the yards were still pretty sizable. In theory, a neighborhood with narrower lots is more walkable, however this depends on a lot of other factors.

Incidentally, the alley seemed to be the place where the neighbors 'hung out' and talked with each other, rather than the front yards.

You are describing pre-60's housing.  That's not how the new ones are built out here.   The "yard" is patio or dogrun on one side/corner of the house and the neighbor's is on the other.  No front yard, alleyway in back.   

They are hideous.    No wonder they have higher foreclosure rates. 

[Laura]

I lived in Baltimore City in the Charles Village neighborhood on the first floor of a divided row home . The row home was circa 1920, had a small yard, parking pad, and traditional alley in the back named Mace Avenue. It was actually pretty wide for an alley (comfortable enough for one car to drive through, but enough room to pass a car going in the opposite direction) and had a 15 mph speed limit.

I really enjoyed this setup. There was also a community flower garden in the back to make it more aesthetically pleasing. The only thing scary about the alley at night was the rats, lol.

I really appreciate alleys coming back into modern design, for all of the positive reasons mentioned by previous posters. The main reason I like them is because I think they tie a neighborhood together and put the utilitarian stuff in a convenient, out of sight location. They can boost community in the front and back yards.

Also, I hate houses with a front facing garage. I think they're extremely ugly, personally. I grew up in a house built in 1983 that had a side garage, which not only gave the illusion of a longer house, but it kept the cars off to the side so that the architectural beauty of the house remained intact.


iPhone

[lepidopteran]

I grew up in a house built in 1983 that had a side garage, which not only gave the illusion of a longer house, but it kept the cars off to the side so that the architectural beauty of the house remained intact.

Many suburban homes have the garage actually facing the rear, but with access to the front.  You just have a driveway that goes straight back along the side of the house, then essentially "u-turns" into the garage.  Like you mentioned, the back of the garage (which faces the front) has the same finishes and windows as the rest of the house, so you might not even know a garage was there if not for the driveway.  Only downside is you need a lot of paved surface, especially around the back to allow larger vehicles to turn without treading on the grass;  this can be a problem here in MD where we have a "rain tax" in many counties -- property taxes are commensurate with how much impervious surface is present.  But it provides plenty of room for the kids to play hopscotch or basketball on, though.