Gated communities exclude the public by presenting barriers to entry. Barriers take many forms, ranging from simple gates and fences to sophisticated electronic devices and security guards. Today, more than 20,000 communities in the United States are gated, housing a population in excess of 8 million. Those figures continue to rise, and there is no indication that current trends will slow in the immediate future.
While several factors are fueling the growth of gated communities, crime tops the list. This paper evaluates the effect of gating on crime inside gated communities. To provide a context for the paper, a detailed description of gated communities is offered by way of introduction. Scholarly findings and several brief case examples are then presented in order to evaluate the impact of gating on crime.
The notion that gating delivers crime prevention benefits stems from defensible space theory. This paper introduces defensible space theory, discusses the links to gated communities, and uses the findings to evaluate the contentions of defensible space theory. Several additional crime theories are also introduced, and their implications for gated communities discussed.
Gated communities excite a number of concerns. Those that are relevant to planning objectives and ideals are presented in the final chapter of this paper. Areas for further research involving gated communities are also identified. Attention to these issues will further our understanding of gated communities and answer many questions that remain unresolved. Opinions, insights, and recommendations for addressing gated communities and crime are offered in conclusion. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/46526 |
| Date | 26 April 2002 |
| Creators | McClellan, Robert Eric |
| Contributors | Urban Affairs and Planning, Zahm, Diane L., Koebel, Charles Theodore, Richardson, Jesse J. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Major paper |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Virginia Tech or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
| Relation | etdreferences.pdf, Etdtoc.pdf, Etdbody.pdf, Etdvita.pdf, Etdtitle.pdf |
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