Planning implications of guarded neighborhoods in Malaysia

Abstract

The increased prevalence of enclosed communities began to draw attention from researchers and commentators worldwide as early as the 1970s. Although much of the early discussion concerned communities in the United States, gated communities were well documented on most continents and in diverse contexts by the 2000s. In Malaysia, in response to perceived market demand for residential enclaves due to globalization and modernization, a number of private developers have created bespoke gated communities. However, less research has been conducted on the retrofitting of existing residential neighborhoods (guarded neighborhoods) with security measures or the `ad hoc' privatization of such neighborhoods. Therefore, drawing on case studies of older, access-controlled residential communities, this article investigates urban planners' perceptions of talks about the planning implications of guarded neighborhoods in the Malaysian state of Selangor. As individual local community groups mobilize to levy what amounts to an additional local tax to finance dedicated guards and gates at the street level, urban planners regularly encounter a conflict between `good-neighborhood' principles and the importance of social-spatial integration. Malaysia's government authorities encourage citizens to enclose local spaces despite the legal prohibition on enclosure and the adverse effects of such interventions on physical and social integration in existing urban residential neighborhoods.