The social and spatial manifestation of gated developments in the north-eastern suburbs of Cape Town

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Gated developments (GDs) are a global phenomenon with their presence and numbers increasingin many cities throughout the world. This is also true for cities in South Africa, including CapeTown which has seen a dramatic increase in the number of GDs during the last decade. GDspose significant challenges to their surrounding urban environments and to cities as a wholebecause of the spatial and social fragmentation associated with such developments. Thechallenges created by GDs are especially relevant in the context of the post-apartheid planninggoals of integration and sustainability of cities in South Africa. There is a pressing need tounderstand these GDs in their social and spatial contexts. This study examined aerialphotographs to establish the spatial distribution of GDs, ascertain their growth over time anddetermine clustering of the phenomenon in the north-eastern suburbs of Cape Town. Thearchitectural characteristics and the security measures employed by the GDs were investigatedthrough field observations of a sample of GDs. The socio-economic and demographic features,as well as the daily activity spaces of the residents of the GDs, were determined in aquestionnaire survey of a sample of these inhabitants. These investigations provided a detailedlook at the gating phenomenon as it manifests in a post-apartheid city, namely Cape Town. Thestudy is of particular interest to urban geographers, town and regional planners, and urban policymakers dealing with the integration of post-apartheid cities. The study found that the GDsconstrain progress toward reaching the post-apartheid planning goals of integration and urbansustainability by their contribution to increasing urban fragmentation and urban sprawl throughtheir clustering close to the urban edge. The GDs also promote social segregation through theirhigh perimeter defences with low visual permeability which effectively separate thedevelopments from their neighbourhoods. The use of a larger sample on which to base the socioeconomicand demographic profiles of GD residents as well as the use of more recent aerialphotography will enhance future studies of the gating phenomenon. A thorough analysis of travelpatterns and traffic volumes in neighbourhoods with large clusters of GDs will advance anunderstanding of this phenomenon's effects on urban segregation and fragmentation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University