UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, 7th Annual International Postgraduate Conference

Inclusion Exclusion

16-18th February 2006

Friday 17 February 2:30 – 4:00: Panel F1: The Excluded

Jacek Gadecki (Nicolaus Copernicus University): ‘Gated communities: exclusion in the Polish urban landscape’

The popularity of urban and architectural phenomenon called Gated Communities can be seen as a symbol of inclusion and exclusion and is strictly connected with physical and social boundaries change. In country of origin – United States GC developments are deeply rooted in cultural, political and historical context, have quite long history (30 years) but even there still cause lot discussions.

Gated Communities are an example of extraordinary and rapid change in urban landscape of Central and Eastern Europe, especially. They start to be present in polish reality just few years ago, but are more and more popular among cities inhabitants, not only in metropolitan areas, but also in less developed urban realities. Gated Community seems to be new and attractive way of life for many Poles.

In my opinion popularity of that kind of units is crucial topic for Polish sociology, because is strongly connected with a formation of middle class in our society.

In my paper I try to show how this type of residential units shapes the landscape of Warsaw and what potential advantages and disadvantages of that kind of developments in polish socio-cultural context. I look at Gated Community not only from sociological perspective, but also as a cultural phenomenon. I try to analyze it in categories of: culture of fear, control and in communitarian perspective.

My paper, apart of personal statements and data analysis, base mainly on discourse analysis of GC development in polish press and among professionals – architects, psychologist and social scientist.