• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.3-16
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• 2020

Most of the Korean apartment complexes are considered as gated communities having characteristics such as self-sufficiency in service provision, self-governance and exclusiveness. Today the exclusionary features of apartment complexes are reinforced by a new practice of erecting gates against pedestrians in addition to the existing walls without considering implication of the practice over neighborhoods. Three groups of residents, those who live in low-rise residential areas without walls, apartment complexes with walls and apartment complexes with walls and gates were surveyed to measure the impact of the new exclusionary practice of gated communities on social sustainability of neighborhoods. Gates turn out to improve social sustainability indicators related to life quality but lower social cohesion of neighborhoods by lowering inclusiveness indicator considerably. The new apartment complexes with increased exclusiveness shake the established order of co-existence between low-rise residential areas and apartment complexes and strengthen spatial and social segregation within neighborhoods.