Gated existence

Published On: August 8, 2017 01:00 AM NPT By: Ayush Jung Thapa


Ayush Jung Thapa

Ayush Jung Thapa

The author is currently working in a ‘Municipal Governance and Capacity Building project’  in Nepal
news@myrepublica.com

It was only during the late 1990s and early 2000s that small-scale gated communities started appearing in Kathmandu valley.

Gated communities have of late been a major topic of discussion. But these entities have been around for much longer, in the form of fortified towns and villages of ancient empires around the world. Initially conceived for defence purposes, the function of such entities have changed, shaped and reshaped according to societal needs. It has been argued by many scholars, academics and experts that gated communities emerge due to demands from various socio-economic, political, and environmental factors. 

A paper published by the SOAC Research Network provides a brief history of these entities, which states:

‘Modern gated communities flourished following a global shift towards suburbanisation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Fortification of significant properties and even towns or cities however is not a contemporary approach in achieving security and isolation from the outer world. Early Roman England, Medieval European towns, pre-eighteenth century London, early nineteenth century Spanish settlements in the Caribbean all had some sort of gated entities. Some were fortified cities while others were walled and gated by royal or noble families. Gated communities with residential use did not appear in the United States until the late nineteenth century; by the mid-1900s residential gated communities were starting to emerge in countries all over the world’.
In this context, developing countries like Nepal were initially left out of such developments. It was only during the late 1990s and early 2000s that small-scale gated communities started appearing in Kathmandu valley. Locally referred to as ‘colony’ or simply ‘housing’, gated communities in Nepal are limited to roughly 50 to 200 units, with relatively limited mixed-use character and amenities. Unlike an orthodox gated community, these housings are not strictly self-governed or fully provisioned.

So, how is our colony or housing different from the much celebrated gated communities around the world? Yes they qualify to be called gated communities, because they are gated and they are walled. Fundamentally, the primary focus is mostly always on the physical aspect of these entities, such as walled perimeter, restricted access, amenities within them, and isolation from the outer world. 

Mini governments 

There are others who focus on the legal and social frameworks under which gated communities operate. Organizational arrangements in a gated community refer to ‘body corporate’ at large, and the services they provide. The body corporate implements its own set of legislation within the community: it collects taxes, administers fines, and in return delivers uninterrupted services like security, public utility, leisure and entertainment. In other words, they are a mini government within the walls. 

The most prominent distinguishing factor of a gated community when compared to our housings is their scale of development. Gated communities not only have basic amenities like shops, medical facilities, theatres, fitness centers, restaurants and bars. They go a step further by including facilities and features like shopping malls, schools, colleges, hospitals, football, golf and tennis fields, jogging and bicycle tracks, water-bodies, places of worship and in some cases even their own airstrips. Truly, they are a city within a city. They house hundreds of families, and they govern them, create their own jobs and contain them within in the best possible way!

These estates aren’t without limitations though. They are widely reproached for segregating the society on the basis of class and ethnicity, and also seen as notoriously capitalist products. After all, high quality living environment comes at a steep cost, making them affordable only to the upper and middle classes. Similarly, in several countries such entities were established with the intent of achieving ethnic homogeneity. People fleeing communal tensions and waves of immigration settled in such communities, considering them safe havens for the like-minded. Other skeptics accuse gated entities of worsening the urban nuisance, or the ‘urban sprawl’. 

But class and ethnic issues aside, people also move into gated communities in search of security, safety, tranquility and dissatisfaction from public services. It might be justifiable depending on a city’s unique characters.

All in execution 

Prioritized service delivery at a single point, consolidated and compact development, and achievement of maximum land use mix is what gated communities do best. This makes them self-reliant and an activity center in themselves, and thereby reducing the need for cross-city trips and easing traffic congestions. They are also praised for retaining or adding greenery and other natural ambience for the residents. Ultimately, they contribute to broader environmental wellness. Such developments can also be placed in ‘infill’ and ‘brownfield’ sites, leaving no room for the urban sprawl debate.

The future of gated communities—whether they can serve the society and the environment or only add to the urban mess—all comes down to how well upcoming projects are devised, regulated and implemented.

The author is currently working in a ‘Municipal Governance and Capacity Building 
project’  in Nepal 


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