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Simone Pekelsma on… Debunking Misconceptions about Gated Communities

Urban Voices #39, October 2024

Simone Pekelsma

Simone Pekelsma recently obtained her PhD in Human Geography from Radboud University Nijmegen. She has an interdisciplinary background in European, Turkish and Urban Studies. From 2019-2022, she worked as a knowledge broker for the Department of Human Geography & Spatial Planning at Utrecht University. Currently, she is managing director of Future Food Utrecht (Utrecht University), a platform where scientists and external stakeholders can contribute to sustainable, healthy, and fair food systems.

Simone Pekelsma on LinkedIn

You have been studying gated communities for years and were even a resident in two of them in Istanbul and Madrid. How did your understanding of gated communities change after having experienced them from the inside?

When I first began studying gated communities, my understanding was heavily influenced by the prevailing academic literature, which often paints a very negative picture of these spaces. They are commonly portrayed as dystopian developments that undermine the essence of urban life. Much of the critique centres on the idea that gated communities foster fear, segregation, and isolation, creating environments where residents interact only with those similar to themselves. Initially, I shared many of these assumptions. However, after living in gated communities in Istanbul and Madrid, my perspective shifted considerably.

In Istanbul, my experience revealed a much more complex reality. I was surprised by the fact that I could rent an apartment in a gated community through Airbnb, which contradicted the notion of these spaces being impenetrable fortresses. The compound had a high percentage (65%) of rental apartments, leading to regular turnover of residents and a diverse mix of lifestyles in terms of residents’ backgrounds, apartment sizes, and costs. Contrary to the common critique that gated communities are peaceful enclaves isolated from the city, what I experienced there was in a way much more urban than what I experienced in other neighbourhoods of Istanbul. There were tensions related to crime, complaints about neighbours, and various other “micro-conflicts,” making the environment more dynamic and multifaceted than I had anticipated.

In Madrid, the gated community I lived in was primarily family-oriented, with many residents citing their children as the main reason for moving there. It functioned more like a protected, green space for children than an attempt to isolate from the city.

Ultimately, my experience inside these communities showed me that they cannot be reduced to simplistic, dystopian narratives. They often cater to a desire for organised, quieter lives amidst urban chaos, while still reflecting the complexities and conflicts of broader city life.

Many residents seek to find a community in these protected enclaves, advertised as places “where neighbours still know each other”. Nevertheless, how can gated communities lead to hindering wider social cohesion within cities? 

Gated communities are a multifaceted phenomenon; they cannot be viewed as either wholly positive or wholly negative in terms of social cohesion. Living in a gated community doesn’t automatically foster tightly knit neighbourhoods within that community and neither does it entirely erode broader social connections within cities.  In a hypothetical scenario where an entire city is composed solely of gated communities, residents might primarily engage with those within their compound, developing strong internal networks but having limited interactions with people outside. However, this isn’t necessarily the case in reality. In Istanbul, for example, while there were clusters of gated communities, there were also external commercial spaces like shopping malls and other businesses in the vicinity. As a result, residents were frequently leaving the gated community for work, shopping, and social interactions.  Additionally, while it’s often said that cities are spaces of interaction where individuals from different backgrounds converge, this can also happen within gated communities, depending on factors such as the size and demographic makeup of the enclave. 

However, it is true that gated communities may reduce residents’ need to engage with the wider urban environment. With amenities like gyms and shops provided within the community, there is less necessity to leave the gated area as frequently as one would in a conventional neighbourhood, thereby decreasing opportunities for everyday interactions with the broader, more diverse urban population. The impact on social cohesion ultimately depends on the dynamics within the community and its interaction with the surrounding urban environment. 

 

Many people choose to live in gated communities to enjoy better living conditions, like green spaces, safety and cleanliness. But how can we think about these exclusive urban oases when considering accessibility and environmental justice in cities? 

This is a complex and largely political issue. Gated communities provide a quick, privately managed solution to the demand for better living conditions. By placing this responsibility in the hands of private developers, cities can more easily create these desirable environments, as maintenance and organization are handled within the community, often by the residents themselves. This makes it easier compared to implementing similar interventions in public areas, where such efforts and implementation processes are more complicated. 

However, while gated communities may offer efficient solutions for some urban residents by providing certain services privately, they don’t resolve the broader urban challenges cities face. It’s important to avoid creating a scenario where gated communities are well-maintained and well-organised, while the rest of the city suffers from neglect and essential services are not accessible to all residents.  

While the problem is not solved by building a gated community, this doesn’t mean the problem is not there without gated communities. Ultimately, my research emphasises that the problem lies not in the presence or absence of physical walls but rather in the broader phenomenon of "gating" in urban contexts.

 

 

On the other hand, social clustering and segregation occur everywhere, even in cities without formal gated communities. While the problem is not solved by building a gated community, this doesn’t mean the problem is not there without gated communities. Ultimately, my research emphasises that the problem lies not in the presence or absence of physical walls but rather in the broader phenomenon of “gating” in urban contexts. Gated communities, whether literal or figurative, reflect how different groups in cities tend to segregate themselves to find places of better living conditions.  

Looking at the future development of European cities, how do you anticipate gated communities will change in terms of their growing popularity, spatial expansion and integration in urban planning practices? 

I anticipate an increase in various forms of gating in European cities. This could manifest in small-scale examples, such as streets designed to be partially gated, allowing for traffic-free areas where children can play safely. While these might not constitute traditional gated communities, they represent a trend toward creating more private, managed spaces within urban settings. 

Historically, the concept of gated living is not new. In Madrid, for instance, gated communities have long been a common feature of urban life, tracing back to the 19th century. Many apartment buildings from that era included janitors who provided various services, serving as precursors to modern gated communities. Today, we see the evolution of these developments into larger gated communities, suggesting that the trend will continue. Future urban developments may incorporate secluded spaces with private amenities, such as parking, gardens, and playgrounds, without necessarily employing security guards or imposing strict barriers. 

However, I believe that while gated developments can provide certain advantages, they should not exist in isolation. Cities need to maintain a comprehensive perspective on urban planning, ensuring that the growth of these private spaces does not lead to neglect in surrounding areas. The success of gated communities should not be seen as a panacea for urban challenges; rather, they must be integrated into the broader urban fabric. Overall, instead of categorising gated communities as wholly positive or negative, we should consider their roles within the urban landscape and their potential for fostering communal living in diverse contexts. 

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