A Spatial Analysis of Gating in Bloemfontein, South Africa
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Bulletin of Geography. Socio–economic Series No. 28 (2015): 37–51 BULLETIN OF GEOGRAPHY. SOCIO–ECONOMIC SERIES DE journal homepages: http://www.bulletinofgeography.umk.pl/ http://wydawnictwoumk.pl/czasopisma/index.php/BGSS/index http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/bog ISSN 1732–4254 quarterly G A spatial analysis of gating in Bloemfontein, South Africa Verno Ferreira1, CDFMR, Gustav Visser2, CDFMR 1University of the Free State, Department of Geography, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300 South Africa; phone: +27 514 012 255; 2University of Stellenbosch, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa; phone: +27 218 083 218; e-mail: [email protected] (corresponding author) How to cite: Ferreira, V. and Visser, G., 2015: A spatial analysis of gating in Bloemfontein, South Africa. In: Szymańska, D. and Chodkows- ka-Miszczuk, J. editors, Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, No. 28, Toruń: Nicolaus Copernicus University, pp. 37–51. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bog-2015-0014 Abstract. Growing trends of fear and insecurity in cities have sparked the re-vis- Article details: itation of gating, posing significant problems for citizens and policy makers alike. Received 18 December 2014 Gated developments are a global phenomenon occurring in diverse countries in Revised: 1 March 2015 both the developed North and developing South. Metropolitan areas in South Af- Accepted 4 March 2015 rica have also witnessed a rapid increase in the number and spread of gated de- velopments since the late 1980s. Development of enclosed neighbourhoods has become increasingly popular, gaining widespread support for their utopic lifestyle and safety features. On the whole, high levels of crime and fear of crime have led to the construction of defensible space, in the form of gated developments, result- ing in elevated levels of segregation. This paper provides a spatial analysis on gated developments in the non-metropolitan setting of Bloemfontein. The pattern and Key words: timeframe of gating in this city is shown to be similar to those found elsewhere Gated developments, in South Africa and, indeed, globally. Overall, it is the contention that gating is Gating, a trend not only seen in large metropolitan areas, but across the entire urban hi- Neighbourhood, erarchy of South Africa, and, as a consequence, requires investigation far beyond South Africa, its metropolitan regions to more fully understand gated developments. Bloemfontein. © 2015 Nicolaus Copernicus University. All rights reserved. Contents: 1. Introduction . 38 2. Defining the gate: some experiences...................................................... 38 3. Bloemfontein as study area and methodology ............................................. 40 4. Spatial-temporal manifestation of gated development in Bloemfontein ....................... 43 5. Conclusion ............................................................................ 48 Notes .................................................................................... 49 References ............................................................................... 49 © 2015 Nicolaus Copernicus University. All rights reserved. © 2015 De Gruyter Open (on-line). 38 Verno Ferreira, Gustav Visser / Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series 28 (2015): 37–51 1. Introduction In this paper, a detailed mapping analysis of gating in Bloemfontein, South Africa, is provided. The investigation is structured in four main sections Growing trends of fear and insecurity in cities have of review and analysis. The first section furnishes sparked the re-visitation of fortification, posing a brief overview of current debates concerning gat- significant problems for citizens and policy mak- ed developments. The second section introduces ers alike (Lemanski, 2004). ‘Gated developments’ the study area and the methodology employed in is a generic term for enclosed neighbourhoods, se- this investigation. The third section provides a spa- curity villages, complexes, and lifestyle communi- tio-temporal analysis of gated developments in ties with additional or optional amenities such as Bloemfontein since the inception of this phenom- schools, offices, shops, and golf courses (Landman, enon in the late 1970s. The final section provides Schönteich, 2002). Gated developments are a glob- suggestions concerning the further development of al phenomenon, occurring in countries as diverse as the gated development discourse in South African Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, China, urban scholarship. Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and the USA. In Afri- ca, gated developments are found in Nigeria, Ken- ya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa (Landman, 2003). 2. Defining the gate: some experiences Metropolitan areas in South Africa have witnessed a rapid increase in number and spread spatially in gated developments since the late 1980s and early Physical features often create the prerequisites for 1990s. Development of enclosed neighbourhoods the experience of social space (Landman, 2010). has become increasingly popular, gaining wide- Sense of space is expressed by ‘we’ and ‘they’ atti- spread support for their utopic lifestyle and safety tudes on those inside and those outside, enforcing features (Landman, 2004). On the whole, high levels the identity of space (Bagaeen, Uduku, 2010). So- of crime and fear of crime have led to the construc- cial and cultural dynamics in gated developments tion of defensible space, namely gated developments, are marked by minority groups, and oftentimes by resulting in elevated levels of segregation which has the unique, elite enclave (Dear, Flusty, 1998). Glob- resulted in elevated levels of class segregation (Land- ally, the wealthy are withdrawing their support from man, 2002; 2004; Spocter, 2004; 2013). public spaces and, in effect, diverting their econom- At the most general level the paper is located ic strength which heads to the creation of clustered within a recent call to seek out and analyse geog- wealth spots (Csėfalvay, Webster, 2010). However, raphies beyond the urban poor and the require- gating is not only for the elite as increasingly the ment for more intra- and inter urban diversity in middle class is also seeking out housing in gated the spatial locations of investigations (Visser, Roger- developments. son, 2014; Visser, 2013). The paper is framed by the Gated developments, commonly known as gat- observation that with the exception of Goldhaber ed communities, are premised on the fortification and Donaldson (2012), as well as Spocter (2013), of space. Gated developments have been defined the current South African gated developments dis- in various ways, with one common underlying course has for the most part mainly been concerned thread: restriction to public access. The means of with the large metropolitan regions, with Gauteng a control ranges gates, booms, walls, and fences. Se- particularly strong locational focus (Landman, 2004; curity measures include access control, guard hous- Breetzke et al., 2014). This investigation redirects es, CCTV, and electric fencing, enhanced personal the analytic gaze to a secondary city, and address- safety, and greater segregation (Atkinson, Blandy, es an investigatory oversight in current knowledge 2005). Absolute definitions of gated developments pertaining to gated development in South Africa. pose significant problems. For example, should Overall, it is the contention of this investigation that flats with access control, high-rising apartment gating is a trend not only seen in large metropoli- blocks, and partially walled or detached houses tan areas, but across the entire urban hierarchy, in- with their own gates be included? Outward defi- cluding smaller cities. nitions will not suffice; the following inward char- Verno Ferreira, Gustav Visser / Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series 28 (2015): 37–51 39 acteristics also need consideration: social and legal clusions drawn in the current gated development frameworks, contractual governance related to con- discourse is that: the developments are generally duct, and contributions for maintenance. Defensible found in middle and upper-income areas of cities; space features high in contemporary urban develop- they tend to be found in clusters; and very often ment (Bagaeen, Uduku, 2010). The increasing de- are found at some distance from the historic CBD sire to exclude disadvantaged people has led to the towards the periphery of the city and decentralised creation of various forms of gatedness. Various ur- retail and business nodes. ban exclusion designs exist, ranging from symbol- In South Africa, the idea of gating has mainly ic to concrete examples (Landman, 2010), such as been framed by the popular discourse of fear and private road obstruction, buffer zones and cul-de- a quest for privacy. However, addressing gated de- sacs express exclusion to the public to some extent. velopments in South Africa requires additional con- The merits of defensible space are still debatable textual considerations owing to its long history of with questions about whether the pursuit of safer segregation (Bagaeen, Uduku, 2010). Examples for space not at the expense of the wider society (Blake- gating are the Castle in Cape Town in 1666, mili- ly, 2007). tary forts in the 1700s, laagers (strongholds) in the Blakely (2007) argues that gated developments interior during the 1800s and along with fortifica- are as old as community buildings. Archaeologi- tions in the Eastern Cape. However,