Gated Communities ─ Social Sustainability in Contemporary and Historical Gated Developments

Gated Communities provides a historic, socio-political and contemporary cultural perspective of gated communities. In doing so it offers a different lens through which to view the historical vernacular background of this now global phenomenon. The book presents a collection of new writing on the issue by an international and interdisciplinary group of contributors. The authors review current thinking on gated communities and consider the sustainability issues that these contemporary 'lifestyle' communities raise. The authors argue that there are links that can be drawn between the historic gated homesteads and cities, found in much of the world, and today's Western-style secure complexes. Global examples of gated communities, and their historical context, are presented throughout the book. The authors also comment on how sustainability issues have impacted on these communities. The book concludes by considering how the historic measures up with the contemporary in terms of sustainability function, and aesthetic.

Samer Bagaeen (FRICS, MRTPI) is Principal Lecturer in Town Planning and leads the University of Brighton Planning School. He is visiting professor of real estate management in Lima, Peru. As the Old City’s Master Plan Coordinator, Samer lived in the Old City of Jerusalem where the traditional concepts of controlled access, community ownership and private space predate the contemporary gated enclave. Samer currently lives in a gated mews in Brighton, England, but remains a keen community activist.

Ola Uduku works at the School of Architecture at the Edinburgh College of Art. Her research interests include Investigating social infrastructure provision for minority communities in urban areas, Modern movement Architecture in West, Africa, and the effect of Gated communities on existing and future urban form in Global cities. She has lived in urban Lagos and Johannesburg, both known for their high levels of 'security-gating', and currently lives in a gated Mews development in Edinburgh, near the gates to the city's original walls.