Gated Communities Essay

Gated communities are housing estates that are tightly regulated with rules and regulations in order to promote safety and security. Gated communities restrict public access to public spaces and services such as parks and the ability to drive on gated off roads. While more than 8 million people live behind gated walls, it is paramount to question whether these gates are necessary for the security and safety these borders promise, or if they are simply borders to insure social and economic segregation among classes. ( Low 13) Gated communities were initially a rarity in the United States. These communities were for the extremely wealthy to seclude themselves from the lower classes. However, with the emergence of retirement communities, the

While they differ in appearance and lifestyles, they all serve the safe function, to keep unwanted individuals out. Lifestyle communities are to keep what used to be civic spaces privatized. These types of communities are found for retirees and offer security and luxuries for the inhabitants. The elite communities are for the nation’s rich and famous. These types of communities focus on appearance and exclusivity. The gate’s sole purpose is a barrier that keeps the outsiders looking in and wishing they had a taste of the good life. Lastly, there is the security zone community. Unlike the other two, the security zone communities are secured by the residents themselves. These types of communities are located primarily in inner-cities and lower-income neighborhoods. Residents of these types of communities often have a “fortress” mindset. This mindset states they must protect themselves from the invaders and intruders that wish to plague and plunder their community. Although each community is different, they all offer exclusivity and promise safety from nonmembers. (Private Security: Gated

Low states, “Lack of familiarity plays an important role in the perception of danger.” (Low 115) Gated communities segregate social and economic classes. The vast majority of those who live behind gates are affluent, middle-aged, white people. (Botelho) This racial and economic separation plays a factor when looking at racial and social prejudices. In the case of Trayvon Martin, a young African-American was walking inside of a White-Hispanic neighborhood, and because of the color of his skin, he was views as suspicious. Low explains how unfamiliarity of social and racial differences is a factor while trying to understand why Martin was shot that night. The gated community that Zimmerman lived in was primarily composed of those whose racial, economic, and social backgrounds were similar to his own. The popular belief of this gated community was that they needed to protect themselves from intruders and invaders. This came to a deadly consequence for Martin on the night of February