On: June Jordan and Buckminster Fuller Tried to Redesign Harlem

I think a lot of it has to do with the size of the court yard and the height of the building. Four stories with a court yard that's as long and wide as the buildings are high? That can work. 50 stories with a yard that's 50m across? The lower levels will live in perpetual twilight.

Brainstorming here: what about light tunnels every ±5 floors that use mirrors to funnel light from outside the building into the courtyard? In theory, this would work...I think.

There are modern municipal housing buildings in Vienna that do this - mirrors for community space ilimunation during the day. :)