In praise of courtyard apartments

A nice lifestyle facilitated by European building codes

Kate and I went to Paris in July with our son and another family and their three kids. We all stayed in an apartment near the Ménilmontant Metro station that turned out to be built around a really adorable courtyard.

Because the courtyard is an enclosed space, people feel comfortable letting their kids roam and play more or less unsupervised. And becaus…