Gated+Community+and+Surveillance

=**Gated Community and Surveillance**=



(**Gated Community** is also referred to as **Fortified Enclave**)

Fortification of community has been an on-going trend among the middle and upper class citizens in the cities with high-crime rate (e.g. LA, São Paulo, Johannesburg). Crime and fear of crime are the main causes of emergence of fortified enclave or gated community, which segregate itself from the outside with physical boundary (e.g. wall, fence, empty space) and surveillance systems (e.g. security guard, surveillance camera) and arms (e.g. armed security guard). Fortified enclaves are not only residential spaces, but also such as work, educational, commercial and entertainment spaces. It has been suggested that fortified enclaves could contribute to spatial and social fragmentation and segregation, while it has been unknown whether gated communities could enhance the security in the community or contribute the overall security of the city.

Are Gated Communities better place to live?
Wilson-Doenges studied four communities in Orange County, California (high-income non-gated/gated, low-income non-gated/gated), and investigated and compared (1) sense of community, (2) crime, and (3) fear of crime, in those community. Wilson-Doenges concluded that the gated community was not beneficial, since the inhabitants have less sense of community and actually not safer than the non-gated community, moreover, it contribute to such as spatial and social fragmentation and segregation.
 * 1) The inhabitants of the high-income gated community have less sense of belonging to their community than the inhabitant of the high-income non-gated community.
 * 2) The high-income gated community is perceived as slightly safer than the non-gated.
 * 3) The high-income non-gated and gated communities have similar crime rate.
 * 4) There is no significant difference between the two low-income communities.

Why didn't the crime rate of the gated communities decrease?
In the gated community, the inhabitant are less active serveillants of the community, rather they are dependant on the surveillance service, moreover, they put themselves under the surveillance of security service. The provided security service possibly weakens the tie and effort to cooporate with the neighbours for the community security. Thus the provided surveillance discouraged the inhabitants to be autonomous surveillants of their community, and as a result, the overall crime rate didn't decrease.

Related Links
Surveillance Surveillance Cameras