Definition of Private Neighborhood (country)

In large cities there are usually private spaces inhabited by people with high purchasing power. These enclaves receive different names: residential areas, urbanizations, private neighborhoods or countries. In any case, these are urban areas with unique characteristics.

Urban spaces for the elites of society

These residential areas present a series of traits common:

- His perimeter it is fenced and controlled by a private security service.

- In its streets the traffic of vehicles is carried out at a low velocity, since this measure is intended to reduce the noise level and guarantee the safety.

- This type of neighborhood has single-family homes and common use areas. Likewise, they can have all kinds of services dedicated to leisure and to meet the needs of residents, such as gyms, swimming pools, banks, schools, supermarkets, etc.

- The private neighborhoods are mini-cities away from the urban bustle and that offer all kinds of comforts to their residents.

- Normally these residential areas have their own regulations and standards of

coexistence related to traffic and community life.

The phenomenon of gated communities in Latin America

This residential modality has grown significantly in Latin America. Experts point to two causes that can explain this phenomenon:

1) social polarization (a minority of the population with a privileged economic situation, compared to the great majority of society and with a weak middle class between both sectors) and

2) the need to find isolated places in which the security and privacy of their inhabitants is guaranteed to the maximum.

Different types of neighborhoods

The private or country neighborhood is the most elite residential modality. At the other extreme are the marginal neighborhoods, inhabited by the most popular social classes. Between both versions, there are university neighborhoods, financial districts, historic neighborhoods, peripheral neighborhoods, etc. Each of these urban areas has its own profile housing and inhabitant.

In any case, the purchasing power of the inhabitants of each type of neighborhood is the factor that determines the characteristics of the different urban areas.

Photo: Fotolia - Carson Liu

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