I just finished reading a good book called Behind the Gates: Life, Security, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Fortress America by Setha Low, an anthropology and environmental psychology professor at CUNY. My interest with new forms of housing patterns began when I read Mike Davis’ City of Quartz a few years ago while I was studying in San Francisco. That book talks about how the urban architecture of Los Angeles is designed to be de-centralized and unwelcoming to crowds. Of course much of that is accomplished through a lack of shared social space and strong law enforcement.

Two years after I read that book, right across the border of my town, a large new housing development went up on the side of a mountain. The community is gated, with a staffed guard booth at the main entrance, and a card swipe at the other. Although the houses appear to be spacious single family units, I was curious why the gates were necessary. The development is pretty much isolated on one side by a mountain, and on the other borders a very “fancy” town.

Setha Low’s book tries to answer the question of why people are moving into gated communities. There were two interesting findings. The first is in regards to safety. She takes a look at gated communities in South American cities, where violent crime is a real problem. In those cases, the gated community becomes a necessity, allowing those within it without constant fear of being attacked. Although in these instances the threat of outside crime is real, such is not exactly the case in the US examples. The two developments she studies the most are in San Antonio, Texas and Long Island, NY.

Regarding safety, she finds that almost every resident of these gated community cites it as a reason for moving to such a place. Although this may seem to be a fine thing that anyone would want, Ms. Low is able to string out, through delicate questioning, the underlying root of the fear. It is, simply, ethnic changes in old neighborhoods and “fear of others.” Since most of the gated communities are rather new (with the boom beginning in the 1980’s,) most residents of gated communities are moving consciously into them for one reason or other. In addition to the predicted influx of retires who don’t want to be bothered with shoveling and yardwork, she finds that many families with young children are also moving to such developments.

The fear of the other which she finds is detailed in examples of teenagers who decide not to go downtown in San Antonio for the 4th of July out of fear of “Mexicans.” Instead they hang out on the golf course, catching a distant glimpse of the fireworks. In another example, a young boy in a family gets scared when he sees laborers and construction workers within the community. Of course the children are the most candid in their responses/reactions… when pressed about the subject, most adults just make references to “outsiders” and try to steer the conversation elsewhere.

What emerges is a troubling picture where individuals are moving to communities where all others are like them. The most important barrier in such communities is of course wealth. But along with that come notions of acceptability in many other ways, such as race, and more broadly, lifestyle. Low seems to think that these enclaves of similarly situated people make them even more fearful of those who do not fall within the established parameters.

The icing on the cake, though, is that most people who live in gated communities do not feel a strong sense of community within the gates. It is almost as if their paranoia of outsiders influences their relations with those who are, ostensibly, just like them. The picture that emerges is quite bleak, of a isolating suburban hell, in my opinion. Here we have individuals living in fear of a multi-cultural society and retreating from it. But in the retreat, they are also retreating from any true community among themselves. There is, certainly, a difference between rugged individualism and isolationism. If people send the messages, “if you are not one of us, stay away,” and “if you are one of us, keep your distance,” then what is left?

Low at times contrasts these gated communities to her own choice to live in a multi-cultural enclave of New York City. Although she does outline the drawbacks of her situation, as in occasional fear of crime and the need to pay for a parking garage, she finds that her quality of life is enriched by the multitude of lives and cultures around her.

Those who know me personally do know that I am extremely wary of forced attempts at multi-culturalism or diversity. Really, the only way for it to work is if both parties are interested in it. I do believe, though, that when such is the case, fascinating collaborations can ensue. And I’m not talking about one culture imitating another, just one realizing that their way isn’t the only way. In gated communities, this is both explicitly and implicitly precluded.

And people wonder why Americans are so assertive, cocky and unilateral. Although we used to be a place that was looked up to, now we are simply feared – there is a big difference there. I’m afraid that the gated community syndrome, which is occurring at local levels all across the country is translating far beyond simple living patterns. If this is how you chose to live, why not just created a gated country? Instead of trying to solve social problems caused by the influx of non-English speakers from poor and uneducated countries, why not just segregate ourselves from them and not be concerned about it?

I fear that in this case, as the disparity of wealth increases, and the mixing of populations dwindles, America (as an idea) is changing radically. In a day when we are told that great strides have been made in terms of racism and multiculturism, it really leads one to question whether this is true or if we are just telling ourselves that so that we don’t have to really deal with the basic problems of fear which we face.

This certainly isn’t the country I want to call home – for I thought we were the best and we tried to solve problems, not run away from them and delude ourselves about our flight. But as Low points out, more and more Americans are moving to gated communities, and most new residential community construction utilizes gating. And this is not just for the rich, but increasingly for the middle class.

Where does it leave us? I’m not sure, but I’m unsettled with the direction. It implies that public shared space is too dangerous and must be policed. It makes congregation between individuals more difficult and works against genuine community building. It isolates, divides and conquers – and it’s not just the minorities who suffer. In the end we all lose if we can’t believe in the notion of civic shared and negotiated space. If our lone voices, in the search for connection and solidarity, can not find others to challenge and engage ours, they will certainly grow quiet.