dc.contributor.author	McClellan, Robert Eric	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Zahm, Diane L.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Koebel, C. Theodore	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Richardson, Jesse J.	en
dc.contributor.department	Urban Affairs and Planning	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-14T21:53:55Z	en
dc.date.adate	2002-04-26	en
dc.date.available	2014-03-14T21:53:55Z	en
dc.date.issued	2002-04-05	en
dc.date.rdate	2003-04-26	en
dc.date.sdate	2002-04-19	en
dc.description.abstract	Gated communities exclude the public by presenting barriers to entry. Barriers take many forms, ranging from simple gates and fences to sophisticated electronic devices and security guards. Today, more than 20,000 communities in the United States are gated, housing a population in excess of 8 million. Those figures continue to rise, and there is no indication that current trends will slow in the immediate future. While several factors are fueling the growth of gated communities, crime tops the list. This paper evaluates the effect of gating on crime inside gated communities. To provide a context for the paper, a detailed description of gated communities is offered by way of introduction. Scholarly findings and several brief case examples are then presented in order to evaluate the impact of gating on crime. The notion that gating delivers crime prevention benefits stems from defensible space theory. This paper introduces defensible space theory, discusses the links to gated communities, and uses the findings to evaluate the contentions of defensible space theory. Several additional crime theories are also introduced, and their implications for gated communities discussed. Gated communities excite a number of concerns. Those that are relevant to planning objectives and ideals are presented in the final chapter of this paper. Areas for further research involving gated communities are also identified. Attention to these issues will further our understanding of gated communities and answer many questions that remain unresolved. Opinions, insights, and recommendations for addressing gated communities and crime are offered in conclusion.	en
dc.description.degree	Master of Urban and Regional Planning	en
dc.identifier.other	etd-04192002-145601	en
dc.identifier.sourceurl	http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04192002-145601/	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/46526	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Tech	en
dc.relation.haspart	etdreferences.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Etdtoc.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Etdbody.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Etdvita.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Etdtitle.pdf	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	Crime Theory	en
dc.subject	Crime Prevention	en
dc.subject	Crime	en
dc.subject	Gated Communities	en
dc.subject	Defensible Space	en
dc.title	Gated Communities: Gating Out Crime?	en
dc.type	Major paper	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Urban Affairs and Planning	en
thesis.degree.grantor	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	en
thesis.degree.level	masters	en
thesis.degree.name	Master of Urban and Regional Planning	en

Gated Communities: Gating Out Crime?

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