The aim of this essay is to investigate the physical aspects in and around inner courtyards, as well as the use of them, in the city district of Ålidhem in Umeå. Ålidhem was built as part of “the million programme” in Sweden in the 1960’s and 70’s and present an example of how these large courtyard areas can function in this aspect. The essay will be centred around four themes, namely size, primary and secondary delimitation, belonging and activities. The form of the courtyards, their contents and their immediate surroundings will be investigated through eight example-courtyards in a field study from the district in question, as well as from the residents' point of view. The residents' answers were gathered through a questionnaire, that also examines how the residents view and use their closest courtyard in addition to the physical aspects. On top of this a shorter analysis of social activities in these types of areas will be examined, as a part of the concept of “life between buildings”. The results of this study find several connections to theories about how inner courtyards are framed by, among others, buildings, and how this affects residents view and use of them.