[munificent]

> no-one ever sits on them.

Doing stuff on your lawn is only part of its function. Much of the value it provides, arguably most of the value is a combination of:

1. More distance and acoustic isolation from neighbors. A larger property with a house in the middle of it separated from others by space means you hear your neighbors less and they hear you less. It makes your home a little more of a sanctuary.

2. A better view out the window. Windows and the views they afford are a critical part of the indoor experience. They provide a connection to a larger space so that the house doesn't feel claustrophobic or too artificial. A window that opens onto a calm expanse of green can make the house feel more spacious and tranquil.

Now, of course, those benefits have to be weighed against the trade-offs. But, in general, people are not completely stupid and if millions of them have lawns, it's probably at least somewhat because they actually like having lawns and aren't mindless sheep manipulated by culture and nefarious HOA laws into having them.

[bluefirebrand]

> More distance and acoustic isolation from neighbors. A larger property with a house in the middle of it separated from others by space means you hear your neighbors less and they hear you less. It makes your home a little more of a sanctuary.

This purpose does not necessarily need to be serviced by a lawn, which is just a patch of grass.

Lawns are stupid.

[ThrowawayTestr]

As opposed to a lawn made of asphalt?

[KMnO4]

Trees, shrubs, naturalized landscape, pollinator friendly fescues, etc etc.

There are lots of options.

[bluefirebrand]

Trees are even better because they offer some privacy for the house and rest of your yard.

I swear the back yards of suburbs are designed to be flat and open so your neighbors can always snoop on everything from their windows. Panopticon design.

[CapstanRoller]

I'd read this short story, where a strange asphalt-covered parking lot planet is discovered and subsequently herbaformed[0] by an eco-hippie expedition ship (probably named 'A weed is but an unloved flower' in Iain M Banks fashion[1])

[0] maybe there's a 'green' non-evil version of the Evil Gray Goo

[1] https://theculture.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_spacecraft

[stephencanon]

Lawns provide almost none of that, though. Trees, gardens and meadows all provide much better separation from neighbors and much, much better views out the window. Lawns are just ... voids.

[robocat]

The #1 reason for lawns is status signalling.

  Whether you were a nobleman in 17th century England or a suburbanite today, the lawn is a symbol of success — a reflection of who you are as a person. A good, clean, weed-free lawn is a sign you have the wealth and resources to devote to such a fundamentally meaningless project.

https://www.dailycal.org/2021/03/20/why-do-we-have-lawns-any...

[munificent]

It is no longer the 17th century. When decaying abandoned properties in Detroit are still covered in a mostly even expanse of grass, I conclude that the signalling value of lawns has died.

[TheSpiceIsLife]

The trend in Australia at the moment is to build on detached homes on 700 square metres, with just enough lawn to make a small electric lawn mower or gardening service necessary, but none of the benefits.

See for example 26 Parkfield Drive, Youngtown Tasmania on your real estate platform of choice (Google search will do) to see what I mean.

[pintxo]

Not much of a difference to recent new builds in Germany. Here it’s a function of the price for the plot. It’s so expensive that people will go with the smallest plot possible. Even nice upscale houses come with tiny lawns only today.

See https://maps.app.goo.gl/nWzQHXVpKeBmW3UB7?g_st=ic

[balfirevic]

That doesn't look tiny at all.