This essay seeks to examine the role of territorial boundaries and why they can be interpretable. In the essay, the divided residential city block, and its intention to eliminate barriers to create courtyards that are both semi-private and semi-public, is problematized. The division of the block does not mean that barriers cease to exist, but that they enter a more complex state where people themselves must interpret the territorial extents. This has led to conflicts between residents and outsiders, which raises the idea that they have interpreted the territorial boundaries differently. 

To analyze how boundaries can be interpreted, the essay includes field studies at two residential city blocks of divided character and where territorial conflicts have occurred. The study is carried out with a semiotic framework: by likening boundaries to semiotic sign system, social and cultural qualities can be read. With the help of geosemiotics and landscape semiotics we can conclude that boundaries can be more than just physical barriers, but also social codes that are active in the entire mental world.