I am very lucky to live in the (US) subdivision I'm in right now. The situation you describe about kids playing in the street and (mostly) the yards is what we

I am very lucky to live in the (US) subdivision I'm in right now. The situation you describe about kids playing in the street and (mostly) the yards is what we have here. Our neighbors have "parties" in their driveways and everyone is welcome. People just sit around and talk as the kids play in the yard. It's not utopia, but it's good enough that we have seriously considered the risk of moving into a closed off neighborhood when we move. We are lucky and are going to hang out here as long as we can.