Will enclosed residential domains affect the public realm of Dutch cities?

Publication

In recent years, enclosed residential domains have emerged in Dutch housing developments. Commentators fear that enclosed residential domains will lead to a loss of the public realm. This article considers such claims.

Three theoretical perspectives

Based on a conceptual analysis, it is argued that the question of how enclosed residential domains imply a loss of public realm should be addressed by distinguishing between three theoretical perspectives: the social perspective, the market perspective, and the civic perspective. It is also argued that the specific morphological characteristics of Dutch enclosed residential domains should be taken into account. Because of the absence of closed gates, for instance, many of the Dutch enclosed residential domains differ from gated communities abroad.

Authors

David Hamers, Joost Tennekes

Specifications

Publication title
Will enclosed residential domains affect the public realm of Dutch cities? Three theoretical perspectives
Publication date
28 January 2014
Publication type
Publication
Magazine
Planning Theory January 28, 2014
Product number
1220