A Gated Community On Every Corner?

In a response to a recent BBC docudrama in which the growth of gated communities are followed to their natural conclusion -- "armies of the excluded riot while the rich cower behind their electric fences" -- writer Anna Minton offers an evaluation of what gated communities really mean for society. "In the US, 15% of the population now live in gated communities, while at the other end of the social spectrum, around the same number are trapped in ghettos of exclusion. In Britain the situation is different, but it seems that trends are moving in the same direction... Threats to democracy and the future of civic life as people opt out of local government in favour of the privatised services on offer behind their gates are the other concern."