Abstract:
Gated communities have long been seen as a rational response to rising crime
levels, yet very little is known about the extent to which residing in a gated community
actually reduces an individuals’ risk of criminal victimisation. In this study, we use
location quotients to compare the extent of burglary in gated communities with burglary
across the entire city of Tshwane, South Africa, as well as compare burglary in gated
communities with burglary occurring within a series of buffer intervals immediately surrounding
these communities. Finally, we identify what physical characteristics of gated
communities differentiate between high and low burglary in these enclaves. Prior to
expectations, we found that gated communities (and their immediate surrounding areas) are
associated with increased levels of burglary. There are, however, a number of physical
characteristics of gated communities which are associated with much lower burglary
levels. The implications of our work from a crime prevention and development planning
perspective are discussed.
