That estate epitomises a much bigger problem- developments with everything shoehorned in so that gardens will struggle to be much more than biological wastelands anyway. These are 4 bed houses so targeted at families and to enable space to play, there just isn't the room for some of the alternative suggestions like wild flower meadows (great for managing maintainence larger plots) or shrubby, multi layered planting.
Lawns often struggle on estates like this because of poor drainage not helped by profit-focused developers compacting the soil and burying the rubble. Then they're so small and exposed that they either struggle with lack of shade or lack of sun and have no space to zone them. I'd love gardens to have to be more proportionate to house sizes, but that's not going to happen any time soon.
Most people resort to artificial grass as a response to a problem. My elderly neighbours installed it a number of years ago as health and mobility began failing. They've kept the rest of the densely planted borders, shrubs and trees which only need maintaining a couple of times a year which is practical/ affordable to delegate out. They still wanted to look at a green open space and I can't begrudge them that.
Gravel/ bark can work as alternatives (gravel with planting will be my preference when I sort out our shady, mud-fest front garden) but they are often not disability friendly particularly when walking aids or wheelchairs are involved.
Goady snobbery is not the answer. Sensible discussion of alternative solutions is more productive than being insulting and dismissive of practical problems and limitations.