That's a good point that I didn't consider -- while the front yard is by no means necessary (in many ways, sitting on a front porch directly facing a pedestrian

That's a good point that I didn't consider -- while the front yard is by no means necessary (in many ways, sitting on a front porch directly facing a pedestrian street is more entertaining, although perhaps not as relaxing), a hedge or wall would defeat most of the point of the traditional front porch. I must confess a certain fondness for walls lining the street, especially covered in ivy :) Anyway, do you know of any good sources for this? I'm trying to research this now, and it seems one of the top results is this series of pages, which isn't that great, although it does list some of the causes of the decline of the front porch (automobiles and air conditioning in particular): http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/am483_97/projects/cook/roots.htm http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/am483_97/projects/cook/roo....