I lived next to a community that had a garden more "inbetween" like this. It wasn't very wide but it was very long with a wide walking path along it. It was better than something entirely set apart, but it was effectively monopolized by the homes near it and unused by the other 90% of the neighborhood (except for the odd walk).

k00b

The Sovereign Neighborhood

machuPikacchu

Thanks for your perspective. I wonder if there could be a middle ground here then? For example, instead of a single central garden and power source, there could be several smaller ones? For example: create a web of gardens connected by trails.