EXAMINING GATED COMMUNITIES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON DRIVERS, IMPACTS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The introductory framework for understanding the concept of “gated communities” was provided by Blakely and Snyder in the USA, primarily based on lifestyle, prestige, and security as primary drivers. Other researchers, notably Lyme’s, Burke, Grant, and Mittlesteadt in the Global North, adopted and modified this framework. Due to the rapid escalation of gated communities, this concept was adapted to the Global South, with an increasing number and breadth of academic publications, which were not only based on drivers but also discussed the impacts and implications for urban and regional planning. To contribute to and advance the scholarly debate in the Global South, this article reviews the literature from 2000-2023 on the Global South's gated communities due to geographical differences with the Global North. The findings attribute security and search for a global lifestyle as primary drivers of gated communities. Reviewed studies are also critical for fostering spatial fragmentation, privatization of public space, and propagating socio-economic inequality as socio-economic impacts that lead to zoning, land use, and urban development implications. The systematic review conducted in this study demonstrates that gated communities in the Global South are often produced at the expense of inclusive urban development, advancing private capitalist interests, and raising questions of spatial justice to only momentary awareness.