In a world of territorial conflicts, there is a quintessentially American space that is sought and claimed — the front porch. In America, having a front porch is a sign of pride. A place where one can sit outside and enjoy the evening, the fresh air, the sunset — whatever it is that makes you feel like the king of your castle.
You can read some of the history of the front porch here. Basically, the porch is the in between space, a greeting space for the house, a place to cool off during hot weather, and a social space that is not all the way in the house but also not on the street. Sometimes called a deck, patio, stoop, or veranda, the front porch is something else.
From the 19th century until World War II, houses had a porch, including upstairs (often for sleeping outside during the hot nights). Then air conditioning became much more affordable and house design focused more on backyards. Modern houses are often built with a porch for nostalgia but people do not seem to sit out on their front porches anymore.
It makes me admire those who still insist on having a front porch, no matter the size.
In Denmark, in the old days, some of the houses had mirrors for the busybodies.
Or perhaps it was so that the homebodies could get their fill of the outside without going outside?