Gated communities: From “Self-Sufficient Towns” to “Active Urban Agents”

► By adopting a relational-comparative approach, this paper examines two gated communities in Istanbul. ► It indicates that they do not act the same with regard to interaction with local political actors. ► Gated communities are active urban agents, shaping urban space and governance. ► They are also the reflections of larger socio-political conflict which intervene in local politics.