Gated Communities, What Are They?

A gated community is an extreme form of closed community. Their number is increasing since the 1970s. These communities often come into existence because of fear of crime in cities and respond by walling themselves in - or viewed from the other side, walling the perceived problem out.

Physical walls, often fortified, surveilled and enfored, give the inhabitants a sense of security. The creation of fortified enclaves is often referred to as fortressing. Outsiders often feel more excluded than with other forms of creating social distance. Physical segregation is not always necessary to create defensible space, that is establish control over a particular space. Symbolic barriers are often sufficient.

The term gated street is used to describe streets where the entry is controlled. This is a special form of gated community.

In 2000 8 million people in the US live in gated communities. The aim of gated communities is normally the creation of homogeneity. This means that only one kind of people lives within the boundaries of the community. This happens along different lines, such as class, race/ethnicity or culture.