SOCIAL AND SPATIAL REFLECTION OF THE NEED FOR URBAN SECURITY: GATED COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Cities are spaces in which security and shelter needs are provided for societies. However cities have grown dramatically, become more crowded and more dense recently. This pace of urbanization has led to social phenomena such as insecurity, danger, anxiety of life quality and status anxiety becoming a problem in all the main cities. Fear of crimes caused by dense urban spaces, owercrowding and urban poverty has led to the need for spatial protection through situations such as spatial differentation and status discrimination. The new middle class of the modern world fears poverty and crime. This fear has formed gated communities in cities. The biggest factor that brings out gated communities is the need for security. The reasons such as increasing the quality of life, the desire to live together with homogeneous groups and showing the income level in the space with. The consumption elements are also considered among the needs to create a gated community. Another main reason for the formation of isolated communities, which are created by the need for urban security, is the desire to live away from urban crime.

The aim of this study is to handle the gated communities that emerged from the process of social and spatial dimensions. The subject of the study is to demonstrate that gated communities which create spatial inequality with the need for urban security, simply cover up rather than eliminate crime in cities, and that this create social inequality and injustice in cities. This study emphasizes that spatial segregation must be controlled by urban policies in order for urban security to be experienced equally in the entire city.