I'll set aside my problem with the fact that the "pro-condo" arguments for families feel like an attempt to craft a narrative that avoids discussing the policy factors that have created this affordability crisis.

What I want to say is this: what you describe does sound kind of wasteful, but doesn't describe the realities I've known. It in no way describes how I used my parents' suburban yard when I grew up in the Lower Mainland (or how my friends did the same). It also doesn't describe how my kids presently use theirs. The vast majority of days saw hours of safe and convenient driveway hockey and basketball, games, and sandbox play. Gardens - both for pleasure and food - were/are typical. I and my neighbors are out in our yards far more than you describe, but the main draw for yards has typically been about space for kids to play. And the children I know who are a part of families that live in detached spaces absolutely use that space far more than you describe.