Partitioning urban space: Exclusivity or social integration? Gated communities in the United Kingdom

This paper reviews the arguments and some of the evidence on the emergence of gated communities and contends that the concept of the partitioned city has a useful application both in the private sector and public sector housing. The focus of the paper will be the UK context, and developments that have been largely ignored to date. The paper utilises the concept of ‘club economics’ to consider the critical issues behind the development of private neighbourhoods within public housing contexts. It contends that whilst gating may exemplify a form of privatism, it may also provide a contribution to social cohesion through the establishment of new forms of territorial management and relationships. It considers how democratic accountability can be established within such environments and how management structures can either facilitate or prevent resident empowerment. By formulating a typology of private and public dwellings and neighbourhoods the paper aims to advance existing critical discussion, arguing that in certain circumstances gating can be a contribution to social integration and can increase participatory democracy.