These often walled residential areas, concentrated in suburban America but also found in urban centers, have restricted access and complex social meanings. The main intention of gated communities is to provide security to residents who dwell within them. An array of security devices segregate residents and non-residents, including armed guards, intercom systems, video surveillance cameras and gates controlled by codes or electronic identification cards. Gated communities are also symbols of class ascension and privilege, and usually contain amenities such as private golf courses, country clubs, lakes and parks closed to the public (work and shopping still lie outside the gates). It is estimated that 3 million or more American households have moved to gated communities in the last two decades (Blakely and Snyder 1997).

Gated communities supposedly represent ideal communities sold by real-estate and land developers as safe havens from the ills of urbanization. This duplicates the historical selling point of suburban development and represents a paradox for the creation of gated communities. If the suburbs are safer, why are gated communities necessary? In this sense, gated communities are symbolic of a “fortress” mentality that has seized many urban residents in recent years due to rising crime (Davis 1990). Ironically there are no proven trends to show that “gatehoods” are relatively safer than “neighborhoods.”