Fear and segregation: Anxiety Beyond Gated Communities. The Costa Rican case

Abstract

Spatial segregation is one of the main consequences of building gated communities. They are typically walled or fenced, with private security and surveillance devices. Gated communities have been spreading rapidly in Latin America as they are seen as ‘shelters’ against crime; paradoxically, they might be catalysing the fear of crime towards the neighbouring public spaces, fuelling a vicious circle of fear. The way they are fortified represents more than a physical barrier; it contributes to rising tensions between those on different sides of the wall. This essay explores the perception of non-gated residents from eight case studies with different levels of poverty within the Greater Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica. Those views were gathered mainly through walks tracked with a GPS and focus groups; the qualitative data from the walks were codified and visualised through ‘Talk’s track maps’. The essay addresses how gated communities’ edges exacerbate the exclusion feelings in adjacent neighbourhoods and how those reactions are linked to fear of crime.