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| example of gated community; Pelangi Utama, Selangor. Source: http://1hartanah.com/listing-pelangi-utama-condo,-bandar-utama-678.html |
Sack's (2003), gated community which places are ethically evaluated to the degree to which they permit diversity and the visibility of other groups outside particular sites. This approach has much to commend it since it allows a set of criteria to be applied that allow us to understand how gating is not simply about the relative satisfactions or tribulations of residents within. Rather, the invisibility of social problems promoted by gating generates emancipator privacy for affluent residents while amplifying worries about crime and entry. By denying the visibility of life and poverty outside, non-residents are made both more exotic and latent in their threats to the visible gains of these new middle-class fractions.
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| with private facilities such as swimming pool and playground. Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?sec=north&file=%2f2010%2f7%2f16%2fNorth%2f6645062 |
Indeed, the cores objectives of the gated community are providing a safety home in high crime issues urban area. Profitable return project then make developers using this chance in providing a protected homes.
To the residents, gated community is seen as a filter which can blocked unwanted crime and scene. The gate itself is a response to urban crime. However, it’s also a response that only benefits the residents where shown they are only worrying about themselves. Simultaneously the poorer also need the protection and security just like the rich, they have to depend on the local authority and the local police. But the riches can get extra protection with paying an amount of money. Is the world too realistic?
Gated community is separated with outside world with concrete walls, guards and their own public facilities. The separation thus provides a private space and the prestige that showing identity of its residents. At the same time, the residents are commonly composed of major high income group with a good education background. So, it’s not a strange thing where their circles of friends are the same class people.
Why need to segregate with placed riches live within a gate whereas the poorer stay in the open communities? Because they are different level? Different background? Different status? So, can I say that gated communities are barriers that formed a social separation between inside and outside world which is unsustainable concept in term of sociality.
What it look like? Feel like? When the inside world is combination of all high income groups. Fragment the city by forming a variety of distinct or boundaries between poor and rich communities. Its mean an urban will form a lot of barrier where there is an area mainly live by riches and an area stay by poorer. The gated community’s residents may become isolated and alienated from the city. Social contracts disruptions keep on occurring day by day. Thus, social inequality happens where this phenomena increase the differences of sociological and geographical within the city itself.
Inequality wills getting worst when the people live in are disconnect with surrounding but just only concern within their circle. These people are less or would not visit wet market instead of hypermarket. These groups of people will send their son to private school instead of “Sekolah Kebangsaan”. Their children are playing within their private playground and the same level friends. They are only live within their circle; join with same standard people with using their highest to see the world even the small children too.
Public facilities and amenities such as playground that provided by local authority are only the space for poorer children play around. The condition of the facilities might be in obsolete or damaged condition because it’s share among thousand residents of the particular area. Worst, sometimes the children are play around at the road when they do not have any nearest public spaces or courtyard in their house. Why don’t the kids playing together in a same park? Are the scenes shown the reality where it’s cruel and realistically?
The gates and barriers are necessary for protecting them with providing a secure life and private spaces. Or the gates and barriers are necessary against a poorer neighbourhood is the true objective behind the gated communities?
The life is all about love, about sharing and caring of people and there is no point to measure the level of me and you.
The development concept of gated communities needs to re-review and re-inspect in term of legislations and planning aspects to make sure that nobody is deprived of their own rights as a citizen of Malaysia.
hello and good day Elaine.
ReplyDeleteJust to share some ideas. Well, generally in Malaysia we've seen a lot of gated community especially in exclusive area. Somehow, we do make evaluation, why they want to be gated? What cause the gated community area? They seem to be seclude themselves aren't they?
In my opinion,security is among the main factors that leads to a gated community in Malaysia. Jika dilihat daripada statistik jenayah di Malaysia, ianya menunjukkan kadar jenayah yang agak tinggi (bagi kes pecah rumah, kehilangan harta benda). Jadi, komuniti berpagar dibuat sebagai salah satu langkah bagi mengatasi masalah jenayah yang mungkin akan berlaku di kawasan-kawasan eksklusif dan mewujudkan persekitaran yang lebih selamat. Hakikatnya, ia mewujudkan jurang antara 'orang miskin dengan orang kaya' kerana kawasan 'orang kaya' hanya boleh dimasuki oleh orang-orang yang tertentu sahaja.
Kalau dibandingkan dengan negara-negara maju contohnya di negara-negara eropah, bukan sahaja komuniti berpagar ini sukar didapati, malah rumah-rumah mereka pun kebanyakannya tidak mempunyai pagar. Ini menunjukkan betapa selamatnya keadaan di negara-negara maju disebabkan oleh taraf hidup, pemikiran, penguatkuasaan undang-undang dan sebagainya.
Berbalik pula pada situasi di Malaysia, kita masih lagi berada di status negara sedang membangun. Kadar jenayah masih lagi tinggi, penyalahgunaan dadah, taraf hidup rendah, pendidikan, penguatkuasaan undang-undang dsb yang menyumbang kepada masalah jenayah di seluruh negara.
To conclude, I think everybody have their rights to feel secured. And for sure, everybody will do their level best to increase their level of level of security. Salah satu caranya ialah dengan mewujudkan komuniti berpagar. Walaupun dari segi impak sosialnya, mereka yang berada di dalam komuniti berpagar dianggap sebagai sombong dan mahu mengasingkan diri, tetapi hakikatnya mereka hanyalah mahu memberikan perlindungan kepada harta benda mereka.
Cuba anda letakkan diri anda di dalam situasi mereka yang tinggal di dalam komuniti berpagar itu. Anda juga mahu memastikan keselamatan nyawa, keluarga dan harta benda anda juga bukan? =)
Mungkin, suatu hari nanti apabila Malaysia mencapai taraf negara maju, di mana rakyatnya mempunyai pemikiran kelas dunia, taraf hidup semakin meningkat, pendidikan semakin tinggi, kadar jenayah mungkin dapat dikurangkan dan adalah tidak mustahil, komuniti berpagar ini mungkin boleh dihapuskan.
good day to u too ^^
ReplyDeleteYa, I agree with you. “Everybody have their rights to feel secured.” But, why must built gated community to providing a safety residential for its residents only? Why don’t everyone live in a same community without any barriers or gated and all residents work together to patrol? Haha..I really wondering why our country have “Rukun Tertangga” ?!!
Actually the root problem is all about our Malaysian personal attitude, behavior and their thinking. We are safe and secured if all Malaysian are mature enough in their way of thinking and also educated in term of knowledge and religion.