(xxvii) Ilesanmi, A. (2012). The roots and fruits of gated communities in Lagos, Nigeria: Social sustainability or segregation? Proceeding, Sustainable Futures Conference: Architecture/Urbanism in the Global South, 105-112, 27th-30th June, Kampala, Uganda, 2012
Gated communities (GCs) represent an emergent urban pattern in many cities of the world and a key... more Gated communities (GCs) represent an emergent urban pattern in many cities of the world and a key debate facing an urbanising globe. This study examined the sustainability potential and possible segregating tendencies of GCs, with a view to ascertaining their future role in the urban fabric of Lagos, Nigeria. The paper explored the 'roots' and 'fruits' of gated communities, reviewing the literature on their forms, typologies, driving factors, and contemporary debates on whether this increasing privatisation of collective spaces enhances neighbourhood cohesion or encourages social segregation. The study used a case-study approach to collect primary data through field observations and qualitative in-depth interviews with eighteen (18) residents of four (4) purposively selected gated estates out of twenty (20) estates identified from a preliminary mapping exercise. The qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. Findings show that while GCs exhibited some common features, there were distinctions in terms of both the environment and perception of the residents with respect to gated living. There appeared to be prospects for the viability of gated living as a sustainable urban form in Lagos. The paper concluded on a perspective of the potential of gating being harnessed to enhance social sustainability. Conference Theme: Sustainability and Urbanism.
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