Looking In On Gated Communities

Gated communities are coming under attack by some planners for not being able to provide the services they were originally designed for. Assurances of increased safety have been undermined by reports of crime rates equal to or greater than those in regular neighborhoods. Their role as an idyllic place to raise children, has been blasted by reports that some children raised in a gated community may actually end up developing a severe mistrust of the outside world. And safety concerns have been voiced at the slower arrival times of ambulance, police and fire departments who have to pass through security gates. All of these concerns pale next to the ripping apart of the surrounding neighborhood by a gated community's inherent elitism.