Specificity of gated neighbourhoods in the Bielany district (Warsaw)

Abstract

The article investigates the phenomenon of gated and guarded neighbourhoods in the Bielany district (Warsaw) after the demise of the socialist regime in 1989 in Poland. The number of secured housing estates grows respectively among newly built neighbourhoods and older housing stock, the latter often being fenced and therefore also detached from the surrounding. Large offerings of gated estates (from luxurious apartments to rather standard blocks of flats) have made living in guarded neighbourhoods a standard in Bielany. In spite of the diversity of the organisational structures and security modes of gated neighbourhoods, they rarely offer additional functions to their inhabitants. Thus, the security functions seem to be the most basic feature of gated estates in Bielany. However, at the same time, a sense of insecurity triggers the motivation for living within gated estates but does not fully explain this phenomenon. Further research is planned in order to assess supply driven forces and the impact of increased offerings of gated estates on the housing choices of inhabitants in Warsaw.

Keywords

• gated community
• security modes
• Bielany
• Warsaw