I’m reading The Pillars of the Earth, the 1989 novel by Ken Follett. The book mentioned Toledo, Spain so I looked for it on Google Maps and I was fascinated by how crowded the city is. It looks like many buildings don’t have square corners. Also notice that most of them have a kind of courtyard in their center.
I like the courtyard structure. It provides security and a place for community. It allows for more windows and air circulation, which are hard to get in an urban setting.