The paper attempts to uncover the key issues concerning the sustainable built form of towns in the aftermath of rapid urbanization and growing population. The objective of this study is to understand the suitability and practicability of the courtyard forms in the urban settlement. Traditional courtyard houses in India are the native types of houses. These typologies of houses have been developed through the time-tested method and reached widespread acceptance. It became apparent that

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... ry along with the traditional courtyard design should be studied on various parameters to determine the most suitable courtyard design for an urban context and quantify possible design solutions in various regional contexts. The paper presents a literature review at two levels. The environmental and socio-cultural impact of courtyard typology has been addressed at the first level. And the second level explores the typological implication of courtyard houses at an urban scale with special emphasis on parameters like building bye-laws, Floor area ratio, and density. The study revealed that the courtyard serves as a holistic space within the house, however depending on the regional and climatic context, the attributes may differ. The paper concludes that courtyard typology has the potential to justify the cultural, anthropological, and climatic needs of the occupant therefore could be adopted in urban settings. The study also provides future direction for the research work as a very limited background study is available to establish a direct relationship between courtyard typology and building bye-laws.