I lived in a small home town with virtually no fences.    It's a very close community, a fence was almost an affront to the city's sensibility.    Neighbors watched out for each others homes (some was snooping, but you weren't going to be dead three days before somebody found the body either).

One style is not better than the other.   We have to basic civil behaviors to keep the community thriving,    I believe in some recognizable standards in any community.   If one chooses to not live in  a close community, there are other options.

I'm a big believer in the power of teams.   They are more likely to take risk than are individuals, which seems an oxymoron, but a team also provided shared results, good and bad.     Many people simply function better in a team atmosphere.

Cleary a 'team' doesn't have to be giant federal bureaucracy, but interconnection has been critical for success throughout human history.  So are stories of great individual accomplishments within a team structure.