A gated community refers to residential development with a secured entrance and is surrounded by walls, gates and fences. Setha Low explains that these home units have privatized public land because individuals are denied access to residents’ houses. Additionally, public places and services such as open space, parks and roads within the enclosure are also restricted. There are rare public facilities in a gated community, but the homeowners enjoy services such as fitness centres, tennis courts, swimming pools, and golf courses. Although the land is designed to benefit all community people, it is available for those living inside the development.
Most people prefer a gated community to the suburbs for security reasons. Putting barriers, gates, and walls is beneficial to the residents but can cause adverse effects to the community. For example, people living in the suburbs can assume that those in enclosed places mistrust them. This can be proved by having security guards or key-card access on the gates for determining who gets in or not. This might cause division among community members creating the rich versus the poor mentality and result in inequality. Although a gated community should be a public space, it benefits some people resulting in a lack of democracy because the entrance is minimized to the residents.
According to Are Gated Communities Bad for Cities? video, the cons of gated communities in the cities outweigh their pros. Interacting with the outside world increases an individual’s knowledge, which is not the case with home unit developments. A person lacks exposure to the gated communities, resulting in fear and feeling isolated. For example, people can feel threatened when walking outside their enclosed areas. However, individuals should know that the next-door neighbour can be a criminal, or robbers might access their houses if they monitor the key-card password. Also, people living in gated communities might hesitate to contribute to projects that benefit society because they can access them from their residence.
In his work In gated communities, such as where Trayvon Martin died, a dangerous mindset published on April 6, 2012, Edward J. Blakely explains the essentiality of co-habiting together in society. Blakely writes, “But according to my research and that of local police departments across the country, gated communities do not have less crime than the suburbs from which they’re walled off”, to contradict the idea that enclosed areas are not prone to crimes. For example, Blakely explains that people living in enclosed areas do not know their immediate neighbours; therefore, not guaranteed security. The author emphasizes the importance of democracy and equality because they will minimize the community’s social problems, such as crimes and poverty. Blakely writes, “How can a democracy function if some of its members develop a private space that operates in isolation?”
Blakely’s work’s most significant parts are where he says that although the gates in the enclosed areas reroute traffic, they do not prevent or lower criminal activities. Additionally, the author argues that although these residents hire security guards at the gate, they should understand that they do not have police powers and have various duties in other areas such as the schools and hospitals. People in gated communities should make safer and strong communities by sharing space with others. This will promote peace among community members and lead to developments because they are united. On the contrary, living in two different social classes promotes divisions and increases crimes because of poverty. Therefore, all individuals should access gated communities because they are public places.