Gated Communities Research Articles

The Influence of Morphological Elements of Urban Gated Communities on Road Network Connectivity: A Study of 120 Samples of the Central Districts of Jinan, China

Currently, the dominant gated communities (GCs) in Chinese cities have fragmented the urban road network, causing traffic congestion, energy consumption, carbon emissions, and environmental pollution. The morphological elements of GCs are key factors affecting road network connectivity. This paper aimed to explore the influence of the morphological elements of GCs on road network connectivity, to provide a quantitative basis for the evaluation and renovation of the connectivity of GCs, and to provide insights for urban planning and policy. This paper quantitatively analyzed the connectivity of GCs using 120 samples from the central districts of Jinan, China. Morphological elements were the independent variables, while route directness (RD) and the network distance (D) to the nearest entrance were the dependent variables. RD measured the internal connectivity, and D measured the connectivity between the internal and external road networks of GCs. GIS was used to measure RD and D, and SPSS was used to conduct a correlation analysis to identify significant variables. Multiple linear regression and LASSO regression were used to test the influence of these factors on RD and D. LASSO regression was employed to construct prediction models for RD and D. We found that intersection density had the greatest impact on RD, while the number of entrances and exits, and the scale of GCs, had the greatest impact on D. Using thresholds of D = 250 and RD = 1.3, the four types of GCs were classified and corresponding renovation measures were proposed.

Living together but gates apart: aspirations and place caring practices among residents living outside a gated community in Peri-urban Accra.

Global capital investment in the housing sector has transformed major African cities such as Accra into segregated clusters of high-rise buildings and ultramodern residential areas. The development of housing projects, such as Gated Communities (GCs), in peri-urban areas has resulted in a contrasting phenomenon of residents living in traditional housing units alongside modern housing complexes. This paper maps the impacts of Ayi Mensah Park, a privately built gated community in peri-urban Accra, Ghana. Specifically, it explores the perceptions, emotions and attitudes of residents living in the immediate environs of this gated community and how these opinions shape their life aspirations, particularly regarding housing. Using semistructured interviews and drawing on the concepts of ‘peripheral urbanisation’ and ‘care’, we found that residents express varied emotions (happiness, excitement, admiration, pride, disappointment, anger, apathy, and frustration) towards the presence of the gated community. Some of these emotions resulted in action, such as pulling down old buildings and constructing new modern apartments in their places. We conclude that the presence and aesthetic characteristics of gated communities in peri-urban areas invoke contrasting affective elements of both aspirations and despair among residents, resulting in new practices of care for the community and future generations.

Unfolding the entangled geosemiotics of technologically-mediated gated communities: Mountain View’s (2021) advertisement as a case study

Gated Communities (GCs), as residential enclaves in urban and suburban environments that offer exclusive housing and a multitude of onsite amenities, are burgeoning in many fast-growing Egyptian cities. In the past few years, several upscale Egyptian GCs have received unequivocal attention in high-profile TV advertisements and campaigns which package and technologically mediate social spaces overlaid with aesthetics of unique architectural character, distinctive leisure amenities, social exclusiveness, and prestigious lifestyles. Set against this backdrop, this paper takes up a postphenomenological-geosemiotic approach toward the examination of the affects of elitism that transpire in one upmarket urban enclave’s advertisement, namely Mountain View. Arguably, in the filmic narrative of the promoted social spaces, the technological mediation and intentionality of the camera shot scale modulate multi-sensory and multi-spatio-temporal relationships between viewers and the GC lifeworld/residents that are worthy of scrutiny. Key findings include how POV camera shots are employed and appropriated to mitigate (and mediate) the representation of transnational elite semiotic landscapes and the pertinent affective intersubjectivities of doing eliteness. The systematic analysis of MV’s semiotic aggregate unravels an affective aggregate that is, in essence, a concrete instantiation of Foucault’s notions of heterotopia and (post)-panopticism.

Towards a better understanding of capitalization of urban greening: Examining the interactive relationship between public and club green space accessibility

With the inequalities in accessing urban green space being intensified worldwide, the capitalization of urban green space (UGS) is increasingly becoming an important concern for achieving inclusive and sustainable urban development. Although the relationship between greening and capital investment has been widely investigated, little is known about the role of residential club green space in the capitalization of urban greening, particularly in cities with well-established markets for gated communities (GCs). To address this gap, this study put together multiple official data and open data to systematically examine the interrelation between club green space and urban parks in terms of accessibility and affordability. The results demonstrate that club green space profoundly influences residents' daily exposure to urban green space, particularly for walking modes. Additionally, residents’ general willingness to pay for accessing UGS may create a mutually reinforcing effect between club green space and urban parks. As the housing premiums reflect, club green space complements high-level parks (city and district parks) but substitutes small-scale parks (community and pocket parks). Park quality and neighborhood population density may amplify the substitution effect of club greens, while the level of neighborhood aging shows a contrary effect and is reflected mainly in walking accessibility. Foregrounding the often-overlooked residential club green space in UGS studies, this research offers a novel and useful perspective to enrich the understanding of capitalization of urban green spaces, especially in GCs-dominated urban contexts, thus informing green space planning and policy-making.

Will gated community affect public transit service coverage?

The proliferation of gated communities (GC) has prompted researchers worldwide to investigate its causes and consequences. The phenomenon has been extensively discussed as a significant residential form in the world, but most of the studies are primarily concerned with non-technical issues such as inequality and segregation, while technical issues such as urban transit (PT) systems have not been fully discussed. The significance of accessibility-focused PT planning to establish a sustainable urban transportation system makes this issue a crucial topic to explore. PT is a public good expected to be accessible to everyone, and this means the distance between people and the system needs to be minimized to maximize the service coverage, but the GC design is observed to be increasing the distance of its residents willing to use this service. Therefore, this study analyzed the impact of GC on the PT system using Bogor Municipality as a case study through GIS (Geographical Information System) methodologies and spatial data. The quantitative evidence showed that GC has a relatively strong negative correlation with PT service coverage (r (66) = from -0.611 to -0.631, p <.001). This means PT service coverage tends to be low in areas with a high GC ratio and vice versa. It was also discovered that an increase in GC ratio is likely to cause a reduction in PT service coverage in the study area (Beta = -0.48, t(67) = -5.17, p =.000). This article concludes with a discussion of a few potential ideas based on the observations to alleviate the negative impact of GC.

Too Privileged to Move? Neighbourhood Perception and Relocation Intention in China's Gated Communities

AbstractThe association between neighbourhood characteristics and residential relocation is a classic topic in urban studies. In China, where gated communities (GCs) have become a highly popular residential form, how and to what extent residents’ perceptions of GCs affect their relocation intention has not been quantitatively examined. Drawing on a large‐scale household survey conducted in Shanghai, we use multi‐level logistic regression models to examine the impact of the perceptions of neighbourhood environment, attachment and gatedness on relocation intention. Our findings are threefold: (1) the greater the perceived improvement of the neighbourhood environment, the lower the likelihood of relocation intention; (2) respondents with higher levels of neighbourhood attachment tend to have lower relocation intention and (3) respondents living in neighbourhoods with higher levels of gatedness are less likely to have relocation intention. This research contributes to the literature of neighbourhood studies and GCs by quantifying the ramification of entrenched ‘gated mindset’ in urban China.

Are gated communities “safe havens”? Examining housing price dynamics of Chinese gated and non-gated communities during COVID-19 pandemic

Gated communities (GCs) and associated socio-economic implications are of global concern. How GCs and non-GCs responded to the external shock of the pandemic has not been comprehensively understood. Drawing on the information of infected cases during the first wave pandemic (January-March 2020) and longitudinal data of housing sales and rental prices for each community from July/2019-June/2020 in 11 Chinese cities, we employ a hedonic difference-in-differences approach accounting for heterogenous effects in stagger timing to discover the effects of COVID-19 on housing price differences between GCs and non-GCs. Moreover, the buffer zones of infected epicentres are delineated to explore the spillover effects. Compared with GCs, non-GCs with different distances from the pandemic epicentres experienced significantly greater reductions in both housing sales and rental prices at varying degrees. While the effect on housing sales prices was significant over time, it only lasted for one month for rental prices. This study enhances our understanding of housing price dynamics and the socio-spatial implications of GCs.

Residents Socioeconomic Characteristics and Their Level of Development Control Regulations in Gated Communities of Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

This paper examines the socioeconomic characteristics of residents and their level of awareness of development control regulations in gated communities (GCs) of Ibadan Municipality, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was employed in selecting 268 residential buildings from the identified 23 gated communities in the five (5) local government areas (LGAs) of Ibadan Municipality. Random sampling technique was employed in selection one gated community in each of the situated housing schemes of the LGAs of Ibadan Municipality. Findings revealed that socioeconomic characteristics of the people is a determinant in evaluating residents’ awareness and compliance with development control issues. This is substantiated with chi-square and ANOVA test result that revealed a significant relationship between marital status and their level of awareness of development control regulations with χ 2 = 0.630 and significant at p ≤ 0.05 level as well as income of residents and level of awareness with [F (238, 2) = 2.286 and significant at p = 0.104 &lt; 0.05 levels. The study further revealed that the levels of residents’ awareness with the identified elements of physical planning regulations and practices across the three GCs were a little above average. The paper concluded that efforts should be put in place to improve or enhance the socioeconomic characteristics of the residents which will invariably improve their level of awareness of development control regulations and will surely impact on their compliance. Keywords: Gated Communities, Awareness, Ibadan Municipality, Socioeconomic Characteristics DOI: 10.7176/JEES/13-2-03 Publication date: March 31 st 2023

Residents' Socio-Economic Characteristics and Types of Gated Communities as Significant Determinants of Neighbourhood Safety in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study examined the residents’ socio-economic characteristics, types of gated communities, and the perception of safety in Ibadan, Nigeria. A questionnaire survey method and a direct observation schedule checklist were used to obtain the primary data. Thirty gated communities (GCs) indicating almost half of the 57 GCs were evaluated. Of 4922 units in the study areas, 493 samples, signifying 10% were appraised using a systematic sampling technique. Information was obtained from components of resident socio-economic characteristics and physical characteristics of neighbourhoods, which include: surveillance, territoriality, image and milieu, physical and design condition, experiences and social capital. The study used a Likert scale of 1 to 5 that started from very poor to excellent to measure elements of the Perception of Safety Index (PSI). The data obtained were evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result shows the levels and pattern of criminal activities in the study areas and identifies methods used by residents to curb the trend which comprises: enclosed neighbourhoods and gated communities. Others include vigilantes, community patrol, corporate guards or private security, putting in place closed circuit television (CCTV), jungle justice and mob action. This study showed that age, GC type, and the last time residents experienced an attack among others were related significantly to the perception of safety (p &lt; 0.05). The analysis yielded p-values of 0.023, 0.005 and 0.001 respectively. The study resolved that the safety requirements of neighbourhoods varied, wide-ranging and comprehensive. The pathways for making improvements included: crime prevention through environmental design, social interaction, surveillance and improvement in the concepts of neighbourhood design, surveillance, territoriality, image and milieu.

Influence of socio-demographic factors and housing characteristics on satisfaction with privacy in gated communities in Accra (Ghana)

Gated Communities (GCs) are rapidly popularizing and becoming a dominant form of housing in Global South Cities. Using binary logistic regression analysis, this article examines how socio-demographic and housing characteristics predict residents’ satisfaction with privacy in Devtraco and Manet (GCs) in Accra, Ghana. Ceteris paribus, residents of Devtraco had lower odds of being satisfied with privacy compared to those in Manet (OR = 0.23; p < 0.05). Level of education, age, home renovations were positively associated with satisfaction with privacy. Respondents with post-secondary education had higher odds of being satisfied with privacy compared to those with secondary education or less (OR= 10.56; p < 0.01). Respondents who changed their interior doors reported higher satisfaction with privacy in their homes compared to those that did not change their interior doors (OR = 4.94; p < 0.05). Complaints against housing features and security service charges decrease residents’ satisfaction with privacy. Thus, the findings might inform decision making for different housing actors.

The rise of education‐featured gated communities in Chinese cities: (Re)producing the enterprising self via the entrepreneurial local state–capital nexus

AbstractSince the 1990s, an emerging form of gated communities (GCs) packaging K‐12 schools with tailor‐made residential services, termed education‐featured gated communities (edu‐featured GCs) by the author, has transformed the residential and education landscapes in Chinese cities. Encapsulating fundamental issues of urban entrepreneurialism, privatisation of public goods, social reproduction, education and housing inequalities, the rise of edu‐featured GCs poses a series of unexplored research questions beyond education and housing/GCs per se. Drawing on an empirical investigation mainly in the birthplace of edu‐featured GCs, Guangzhou, this research examines how the entrepreneurial local state leverages private investments and orchestrates the (re)production of the enterprising self to give rise to edu‐featured GCs. Specially, the entrepreneurial state strategically forms a nexus with private capital at different stages to serve different (re)development priorities and thus gives rise to various types of edu‐featured GCs. Meanwhile, the enterprising self is forged by a process of neoliberal responsibilisation of individuals to produce a competitive labour force feeding into the needs of domestic economic restructuring and global capitalism. Middle‐class households seemingly harvest a great fortune through their investment in education and housing markets, yet they are involuntarily being mired in a vicious circle of “involution” that reproduces the enterprising self in a hypercompetitive manner. Foregrounding the indispensable role of the state in shaping the new residential form entwining housing and education choices, this study epitomises how education and housing offer critical prisms to examine broader and more profound urban and geographical issues. It enriches the scholarship of critical geographies of education through introducing a four‐dimensional — upward‐, downward‐, outward‐ and inward‐looking — prism. Specifically, edu‐featured GCs is shaped by both the powerful state–capital nexus (upward‐looking) and individual choices for social reproduction (downward‐looking), and links middle‐class parents' expectations and choices of schooling (inward‐looking) with the wider impacts on urban (re)development (outward‐looking).

Residential satisfaction in gated communities according to stages in the life cycle with reference to Cairo, Egypt

The objective of the study is to investigate, in the Egyptian context, residential satisfaction in gated communities (GCs) in relation to stages in the life cycle. The aim is to identify possible differences between the different stages in the life cycle in terms of the most important predictors of overall residential satisfaction. The study relies on a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of residents of Al-Rehab GC in Cairo, Egypt (n = 131). The sample was divided into four life cycle stage groups: young singles (YS) (n = 36), heads of young family households (YF) (n = 41), heads of households with older children (OC) (n = 34), and empty nesters (EN) (n = 20). Statistical analysis does indeed reveal differences between stages in the life cycle in relation to the most important components of residential satisfaction. In particular, for YF and OC, the social environment within the GC was the most important predictor of overall residential satisfaction. For these two life cycle groups, issues related to the needs and safety of their children were also important. In contrast, for EN, the social environment and characteristics of the area around the dwelling appeared to be much less important than for other groups. For EN, satisfaction with the dwelling unit itself was shown to be the most important predictor of overall residential satisfaction.

The Heightened ‘Security Zone’ Function of Gated Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Changing Housing Market Dynamic: Evidence from Beijing, China

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has left a strong imprint on many aspects of urban life. Gated communities (GCs) in China are less commonly perceived as a negative and segregated urban form of community compared to other contexts, owing to their wide variety and relative openness. Yet, the enhanced security zone function and the popularity of GCs, along with the heightened segregation and exclusion effects, mean they are most likely to emerge in post-pandemic urban China because of the perceived effectiveness of GCs in preventing health risks by excluding outsiders during the pandemic. Drawing on empirical data from Beijing, this research presents strong evidence for a strengthened perceived ‘security zone’ effect of GCs during the pandemic. Given that rigid pandemic control measures were organized at the community level, a large-scale household survey in Beijing suggests that residents commonly recognise the effectiveness of GCs in security control and show a strong preference for GCs over open communities after the pandemic, even though there is a lack of direct evidence of reduced COVID-19 risk in GCs. The heightened perceived ‘security zone’ function of GCs has shown a significant impact on the housing market, evidenced by an increase of 2% in the housing prices for GCs, compared with those of open communities. The rising popularity of GCs is also evidenced by a significant increase in property viewings by potential homebuyers and smaller price discounts in actual transactions in gated communities vis-à-vis open communities. We argue that the rising risk-averse sentiment in the post-pandemic era has given rise to the popularity of GCs. This study provides timely and fresh insights into the changing meaning of GCs in post-pandemic China.

Ending gated communities: the rationales for resistance in China

Although gated communities (GCs) have spread globally, their prevalence in China is often attributed to China’s unique tradition of gated living. In 2016, China announced policy recommendations intending to end GCs, which faced societal resistance. To elucidate the nature of this resistance, we interviewed experienced Chinese officials, practitioners, and scholars—who, inevitably, were themselves GC residents. They challenge the policy in two ways: policy-rejectors justify gating as common sense and stress risks of ungating, whereas policy-sympathizers understand the policy shift but doubt its feasibility. Their rationales reveal ingrained cognitive dissonance and entrenched state-society tension. Such sentiments that resist ungating collectively create practical and ideological barriers to mitigating housing segregation. China’s GCs showcase how private production of civic goods prioritizes market rules and promotes individual values. China’s failure in ungating suggests that the prevalence of privately produced communities can justify exclusion, normalize “gated mindsets,” and reinforce socioeconomic and spatial inequalities.

Confronting the gated community: Towards a decolonial critique of violence beyond the paradigm of war

AbstractThis article investigates the works of Dussel, Maldonado-Torres, and Mbembe as representatives of a tendency in the field of decolonial thought to assume the templates of warfare and the camp as the archetypal registers of violence in the contemporary world. Identifying this focus as the remnant of a Eurocentric vocabulary (the paradigm of war), the article proposes a shift from the language of warfare predominant in the field to a language of welfare. The article turns to the gated community (GC), instead of the camp, and the imperatives of (re)creation, instead of the logics of elimination, as new templates with which to make sense of modern/colonial violence. Moving beyond militaristic imagery, the analysis shows a form of violence that emerges as a response to the endless search for a life of convenience inside the walls of the GC. To this end, the article advances the concept of the dialect of disarrangement, the enforced but uneasy encounter between two subjectivities that inhabit the GC: the patrons (the homeowners who consume the easy life) and servants (the racialised service staff). In the GC, violence emerges in attempts to respond to this (in)convenient encounter via misrepresentations of both patrons and servants as out of their place.

Evaluating Accessibility Benefits of Opening Gated Communities for Pedestrians and Cyclists in China: A Case Study of Shanghai

Opening gated communities (GCs) has been widely discussed for urban inclusion and revitalization. With the policies of opening GCs being promoted in China, the quantitative and comprehensive evaluation of the potential benefits is heavily needed. Taking Shanghai as an example, this study quantifies and analyzes the accessibility benefits and risks of opening GCs for pedestrians and cyclists considering two GC types, two opening levels, two travel modes, and different facilities. We found that (1) opening GCs can bring 50 m+ accessibility gains to 17% and 52% of the residents in moderate opening (MO) and complete opening (CO) scenarios, respectively. (2) Cyclists benefits more than pedestrians in all scenarios. (3) Conventional GCs have fewer benefits in MO but more in CO than newly established ones. Trips to bus stations demonstrate the largest accessibility gains. (4) The accessibility benefit of a residential building is highly determined by its closeness to the gates and relative location in the block. (5) Only 1% and 5–7% of external trips may penetrate the opened communities in MO and CO scenarios, respectively, which are far less than both the expectation and the benefits. Finally, several local design guidelines are proposed.

Emission dispersion modeling and geospatial analysis of vehicular emissions in some parts of Benin City, Nigeria

Over the years, decline in air quality has been connected to the growing rate of urbanization and increasing number of vehicles on the roads. Most of the pollutants emitted from vehicular activities have been observed to have adverse effects on individuals as well as the atmosphere. Although, the focus of this study is to develop an emission dispersion model to predict the concentration of specific air pollutants with distance, the application of geostatistical technique such as Kriging interpolation to study the spatial distribution of pollutants from vehicular emissions around the study area was also exemplified. Seven (7) georeferenced points, namely, Ugbowo main gate, Ekosodin junction, Agen junction, Super D junction, Nitel junction, Okhunmwun junction and Oluku market junction were used for data collection. Pollutants from vehicular emissions, namely, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) including the total radiation were monitored in the morning and evening for a period of 35 days (7th July to 12th August 2020) with the aid of portable toxic gas monitors and radiation alert meters. Other parameters of interest, which were also measured include maximum temperature and wind speed using infra-red thermometers and portable anemometer respectively. To ascertain the quality of the data, selected preliminary analysis, namely, test of normality, test of homogeneity, outlier detection and reliability test were done. Result of the study showed a high concentration of NO2, CO and total radiation around Ugbowo main gate and Okhunmwun community and environs especially during the peak hours of evening (5.0 p.m. – 6.0 p.m.) when the traffic load is high.

대대성(對待性)과 감통(感通)의 공동체: 빗장공동체에서 트임 공동체로

대대성(對待性)과 감통(感通)의 공동체: 빗장공동체에서 트임 공동체로

Normalized Heterotopia as a Market Failure in a Spatial Marketing System: The Case of Gated Communities in India

This article explores the spatial marketing system in India. It highlights a case where market failure is institutionalized through the normalization of heterotopia in the consumption of gated communities (GCs). We build on the earlier work by Bargends and by Sandberg on spatial marketing systems to discuss the consumption of exclusive space. We find that the gated community leads to heterotopic relations, fantasized living and, the pursuit of identity through spatial purification. This research contributes to macromarketing research by offering three theoretical interpretations of our qualitative study of residents of a gated community in India. First, spatial inequality is found to be a defining process in this spatial marketing system. The creation of such disparities is a deliberate strategy by dominant consumers to ‘other’ the outsiders. This spatial segregation is seen as a market failure. Secondly, branded space emerges as a trope for decoupling with local lower class surroundings through a process of postcolonial mimesis. In the process of imitating the West, residents engage in self-captivity and voluntary seclusion to achieve spatial purification. Thirdly, we extend marketing systems theory by locating spatial purification-related processes and mechanisms at the heart of marketing systems formation and adaptive change.

Walking accessibility to neighbourhood open space in a multi-level urban environment of Hong Kong

This study presents the spatial analysis of walking accessibility to a public facility in a hilly, multi-level urban environment. Our spatial database includes street topography, physical impedances, formal crossings, and designated access points in assessing the network distance of all private residential buildings to public open space in Hong Kong. Pedestrian movement of uneven speed on walkways of varying gradients is assessed. The study concludes that, compared with our method, conventional buffer analysis and network distance analysis over-estimate the walking accessibility of private housing to neighbourhood open space in Hong Kong by about 2–8%. Despite Hong Kong’s compact built environment, about 15% of the total number of residential blocks cannot reach a neighbourhood open space within 5 minutes of walking (equivalent to the local planning standard of 400 metres of walking on a flat terrain). These open space-deficient neighbourhoods comprise mostly the affluent or middle-class households in gated housing estates and in low-rise housing, but also some neighbourhoods of underprivileged families in old urban tenement buildings. Our assessment reveals the spatial bias of land use planning policy leading to these blackspots of open space shortfall in the territory. It requires urban planners to pay attention to the geographical barriers of a pedestrian network in redressing the inequitable distribution and achieving a pedestrian-friendly 3D city.