Nowadays more and more urban residents want to slightly separate themselves from all the negative aspects of big-city life, thus deciding to buy a flat or an apartment located in a gated community. The middle and upper classes chose this new lifestyle, which affirmed their social status and created a differentiated space. However, this choice should be carefully thought out beforehand, as it has both advantages and disadvantages.
Everything at your fingertips
Regarding the tranquillity, gated communities are usually located in the outskirts of the cities, so they allow to escape from noise and traffic. Their planning is often accompanied by a projection about the growth of nearby neighbourhoods, in addition to the incorporation of amenities specific to the urbanisation. In this way, it becomes less and less necessary to travel to the centre since everything required, such as pharmacies, shops, banks, is nearby.
Gated Communities: are they only for the rich?
Gated communities have always aroused much controversy. At one time, they were perceived as luxury accommodation, intended only for the prosperous. Thus, they gave a kind of prestige to the residents who were separated from the rest of society. However, nowadays, this border has begun to blur, and a less wealthy citizen can also afford an apartment located within a closed community. Due to the high interest in this type of housing, development companies compete with each other, offering more and more attractive offers.
Advantages of closed settlements
Safety
The definite advantage of a gated community is a lower risk of theft, burglary or occurrence of acts of vandalism as in the case of open urban space. 24-hour monitoring ensures comfort for residents and, most importantly, gives a sense of security. Thanks to this, maintaining order and aesthetic appearance of the place of residence is much easier and more effective.
Recreational areas
Another advantage of this type of building is specially separated, attractive recreational areas, designed for residents who want to relax after a hard day, not far from the place of residence. Thus, closed facilities often include amenities such as playgrounds, a leisure zone with benches, a picnic area, and barbecue areas favouring the integration of neighbours. Private access makes all the difference. These are just a few primary attractions. Many of the housing investments include access to various types of educational, service, banking or medical aid in the estate itself.
Less car traffic
A significant advantage is also the lack of heavy car traffic near the community. Often in the case of such buildings, underground parking is provided. In this situation, the car traffic takes place only in a strictly defined zone, which is a massive advantage for parents with children who can be sure that their children can play in the open air safely.
Disadvantages of a gated community
Social divisions
Unfortunately, closed communities also have some disadvantages. One of them is undeniably the risk of creating social divisions. Because for many people, gated communities have become a synonym of prestige, people from the outside can be automatically perceived as worse and less affluent. It is also worth noting that these divisions can also be seen among the residents of the gated community, who are not always a harmonious community, but rather a group of anonymous people. What’s more, isolation from the outside world is bad for our mental health. Therefore, it is essential to cultivate relations with our neighbours and not let life end up in a way that would harm us.
Less privacy
The lack of privacy is also a disadvantage to closed housing estates, which is a side effect of 24-hour security. Besides, in individual cases, visits to residents may be somewhat tricky. The administration of some settlements requires the verification of the identity of people entering its area, and the real implementation of this procedure can generate many problems.
It is also worth emphasising that the safety of residents is sometimes only apparent. Despite the measures taken, such as 24-hour monitoring and hiring a security company, criminal acts also occur in closed housing estates. It is impossible to eliminate them completely.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are pros and cons of living in a gated community. That is why the decision about choosing such a way of living should be well thought out.
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