ABSTRACT
The first conclusion we wish to draw from this collection of papers is that private neighbourhoods are beyond doubt a highly significant feature of postmodern urbanism. They are a global phenomenon, they signify a distinct shift in the way cities are organised, they represent an extreme decentralisation of decision-making, they create new socio-spatial divides, their popularity has spawned a commodified neighbourhood industry, they create micro-territories with their own local constitutions, they represent a new model of collective action in the coordination of demand for public goods, they break down traditional social geographies and create new ones, they provide an alternative model for financing civic goods, they do for home buyers what the packagetour industry has done for individual holiday buyers, they enhance the conspicuousness of home-based consumption, they alter patterns of urban insecurities and they create new micro-societies.
