Spatial differentiation of gated communities in Nanjing

ABSTRACT

Since market reform began in China’s housing sector, gated communities have been the mainstream model for newly built residential communities. There is a rich literature exploring the popularity and social-spatial effects of gated communities, as well as reactions to them. However, the general layout and spatial differentiation of gated communities in urban areas have been scarcely explored. This paper studies the central urban area of Nanjing, which was determined in the Urban Master Planning of Nanjing (2011–2010). The research object is the set of 1114 gated communities that were built after 1998. The Theil Index and GIS Contour Line are used to analyse the spatial distribution of housing prices, property management fees and plot ratios of these gated communities in Nanjing. Then, we reveal the spatial differentiation of the types and grades of the gated communities and propose a spatial differentiation model of gated communities in Nanjing. Based on all of the above, this paper also discusses how factors including location/land price, city planning, construction type, resource allocation, and year of establishment impact the gated communities’ spatial differentiation and how the gated communities’ spatial differentiation reflects and predicts urban socio-spatial differentiation.

KEYWORDS:

• Gated communities
• property management fee
• plot ratio
• housing price
• spatial differentiation
• Nanjing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. According to a survey by Blakely and Snyder (1997), there are three major types of gated communities in the US. The first two types, ‘prestige’ and ‘lifestyle’ communities, are built as master-planned developments and governed by either developers or homeowners’ associations. Prestige communities cater exclusively to upper-income groups and convey status along with exclusivity. Lifestyle communities cater to both upper- and middle-income groups and represent the lifestyle choice of a socio-economically homogeneous community. The third type is that of ‘security zone’ communities, occupied by low-income groups wherein previously public spaces are retrofitted with gates by the residents themselves for reasons of safety and protection from crime and violence. The spread of this type has been limited to certain parts of the world, particularly South Africa and Latin America, whereas prestige and lifestyle communities have become part of a global repertoire from which cities around the world are borrowing and then re-fashioning to meet the demands of local conditions.

2. Given that the Liuhe Region within Jiangbei Sub-city is far away from and is disconnected from other regions, this paper will not include it.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 41201161], [grant number 41501168].