Gated communities in Guatemala City : A socio-spatial perspective
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2013-06
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en
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Abstract
In recent years many researchers have paid attention to the phenomenon of gated
communities due to the role they play in the ongoing transformation of the urban realm. It
is namely argued by many researchers that gated communities enhance social exclusion
as groups of people are being excluded from these private spaces (Caldeira, 1996; Coy,
2006; Borsdorf, Hidalgo and Sanchez, 2007). Gated communities are a globally emerging
form of urban living (Hamers et. al 2007, p. 45). With their arrival to the urban realm, they
not only make a spatial impact, but also a social impact. The gates and walls that are
erected to close off a living area in a neighbourhood, can also make changes in the ways
people are able to meet each other in their everyday lives. The focus of this theses is on
gated communities in Latin America, and more specifically in Guatemala City. The city
counts a growing number of gated communities, both in the inner city as in the surburban
area. To gain insight in the social and the spatial impact gated communities make on the
city, two gated communities have been studied. One in the inner city area, Residenciales
Cipresales and one in the suburban area, Alamedas de Villaflores. They differ in the
spatial position towards the surrounding neighbourhood, as Residenciales Cipresales is
located in a larger neighbourhood area, and Alamedas de Villaflores is spatially more
separated from its social surroundings. By examining whether the social soft border (the
extent to which there is social interaction between gated community residents and people
in their immediate surroundings) overlaps with the physical hard border of the gated
communities, insight has been gained in the extent to which a gated community is a
sustainable phenomenon. This has been done by empirical research on the social
networks of the gated community residents. The results of this research showed that there
does not exist deep social integration between both gated communities and their
immediate surrounding. The social networks of gated community residents are built of
relations between people inside rather then much social relations with people in the
immediate surroundings. Only minimum contact exists, mainly in the religious-,
commercial-, or family sphere. This means that there is no major overlap from the social
over the spatial border. The social border follows the spatial border in more or less the
same way. The gates and walls do not provide openness for people from both sides to
meet each other. Gated communities do not facilitate social integration, but enhance
social exclusion. As the walls keep rising and people have no chance to meet each other
regularly, fear will rise towards people that are not part of the gated community.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen