International visitors, rising crime, and increasing economic class differences in the growing cities are not only an American issue. France, England, Switzerland, South Africa, Australia, and Sweden are only a few among the countries worldwide which are concerned with gated communities. But since gated communities are a typical form of suburban living and suburbia is rooted in the United States I want to focus on this country.
Different forms of gated communities are spreading rapidly. In the suburbs, as well as in inner-cities, but also as entirely new cities the spaces they characterize are larger and larger and also the life of more and more people. What had so far only been known from mega cities of the Third World or as a phenomenon of the apartheid in South Africa, is common anywhere today. Historically, spatially separated communities are actually nothing new in Europe or the US. Even in the middle ages monasteries and castles served as separation, and Tuxedo Park in New York was already fenced in 1885. However, the current development in the USA is new in terms of its variation and quantity and is therefore a relevant subject to research for urban studies.
Gated communities and their origin, development and spreading are a topic on which only little research has been conducted so far. In the past 15 years the boom of fenced neighborhoods in the United States has not only caused a dramatic change in American city landscapes, but has at the same time contributed to the development of a new, suburban society which deliberately wants to separate itself from the city, i.e. public life. Due to the decreasing quality of public service in many cities in the USA an alternative, private form of local government has established alongside the gated communities; often it has already substituted public communities in their function. With regard to these fundamental changes, it is astonishing that the matter of closed settlements has so far been subject to research only to a small extent. Studies, which deal with gated communities with regard to segregation of society and the fragmentation of the city connected to this, have only been carried out for few years.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Defining community
3. The different types of gated communities
3.1 Lifestyle communities
3.2 Prestige communities
3.3 Security zone communities
4. Reasons for the development of gated communities in the US
5. The consequences of the emergence of gated communities
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the rapid growth and societal impact of gated communities in the United States. It investigates the motivations behind their development, analyzes the different typologies of these fenced neighborhoods, and critically examines the consequences of increased residential segregation and the privatization of public space.
- Defining the theoretical concept of community in an urban context.
- Categorizing gated communities into lifestyle, prestige, and security zone types.
- Analyzing social and urban polarization as primary drivers for the trend.
- Evaluating the impact of homeowner associations on local democracy.
- Assessing the implications for freedom of movement and social exclusion.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3 Security zone communities
The third and last category is the security zone community, where trouble with crime or traffic and fear of outsiders are the most common motivations to choose to live within this community. The gates and fences around the neighborhoods that used to be open ones earlier are set up by the inhabitants and not the developers as opposed to the other two types described above. Such separation occurs in the inner city and in the suburbs, in wealthy neighborhoods and in very poor ones, too. Security zone communities are perhaps the type of gated community, where the fortress mentality is most obvious; people unite in order to physically separate themselves from their neighbors. Open private streets are easy to gate, but where there are public streets involved in the closure the case is not so easy. The city must take the streets of concern over before they can be gated off.
Many security zone communities are struggling to retain or regain the community involvement they had known from the past. Some members do claim that there is more neighborliness in their community than on a real street but there is divergence concerning, for example, pet ownership and parking restrictions.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the global phenomenon of gated communities and identifies the United States as the primary focus due to the rooted nature of its suburban culture.
2. Defining community: Examines the sociological definitions of community, emphasizing shared territory, values, and political interaction as core components.
3. The different types of gated communities: Classifies gated settlements into three distinct categories based on resident motivations and physical characteristics.
3.1 Lifestyle communities: Describes developments focused on leisure, shared interests, and specific demographics like retirees or golf enthusiasts.
3.2 Prestige communities: Analyzes neighborhoods established primarily for social status and the display of economic class, often using strict control to maintain an exclusive image.
3.3 Security zone communities: Discusses neighborhoods that are gated as a reaction to external threats such as crime or traffic, often by existing residents.
4. Reasons for the development of gated communities in the US: Explores the role of urban polarization, the urban underclass, and the changing nature of American suburbanization.
5. The consequences of the emergence of gated communities: Evaluates the negative social impacts, focusing on residential associations, the erosion of democratic local governance, and spatial exclusion.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the threat that privatized, guarded fortresses pose to sustainable urban social networks and the wider community.
Keywords
Gated communities, urban studies, suburbanization, segregation, homeowner associations, CC&Rs, lifestyle communities, prestige communities, security zone communities, social polarization, urban fragmentation, fortress mentality, public space, privatization, social exclusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper examines the phenomenon of gated communities in the United States, analyzing their rapid growth and the underlying motivations for their emergence.
What are the primary categories of gated communities mentioned?
The author identifies three main types: lifestyle communities (leisure-oriented), prestige communities (status-oriented), and security zone communities (crime/traffic-defense oriented).
What is the central research question addressed in this work?
The paper asks whether the prevalence of gated communities helps to combat crime or if it primarily contributes to social segregation and the restriction of public space.
Which methodology is applied to study these neighborhoods?
The work utilizes a combination of literature review and urban geography analysis, drawing on concepts of residential segregation and the function of homeowner associations (HOAs).
What aspect of the gated community movement is explored in the main body?
The main body focuses on the physical and functional characteristics of private neighborhoods, the influence of HOAs, and the resulting urban fragmentation.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include gated communities, urban fragmentation, social polarization, homeowner associations, and spatial exclusion.
How do homeowner associations impact the local democratic process?
The paper argues that HOAs often operate in an autocratic manner, restricting individual rights and bypassing traditional democratic norms to enforce private regulations.
What is the author's final conclusion regarding gated communities?
The author concludes that gated communities are an inappropriate form of urban housing that threatens social networks and creates an unhealthy "them and us" mentality within society.
- Quote paper
- Alexandra Nadler (Author), 2005, Gated Communities in the USA, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/74839
