“Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage”: The institutional and communitarian possibilities of “gated communities”

This paper examines the nature of the “community” in “gated communities” as a globalizing form of housing development; discusses factors for the enmity this form attracts; argues that the global trend in gating need not be socially destructive, as warned by critics; and suggests principles for shaping the governance of these communities with subsidiarity and solidarity in mind. It uses four case studies to demonstrate the applicability of these principles or otherwise.