Imagine a suburb of single family homes.

You'd typically get a lawn of about 30'-40' in front, a yard of 50'-100' in back, and about 40' on each side to the walls of your neighbor's house.

The builder wants more money. He constructs a house way too big for the land. They push the front of the house a little closer to the street to give more back yard. They are very close to the neighbors, they can be 10'-20' away, window to window.

If they drop a new McMansion in an current space, it dwarfs the side houses. If they create a whole neighborhood of them, they have a very distinct pattern.

They don't spend any time out front since the front lawn is so small, they fence what they can for a bit of limited privacy, and they spend any outdoors time isolated in the back. They have enough money and space for pools (very close, no back yard if they get one), so you see a lot of those.

If you drive down the street, it feels like a fortress since the front of the houses are close, but not not meant to be inviting, they act more like a wall to an inner environment.

Very few kids on the street.