ABSTRACT
The gate and walls can be dated back at least to the walled city when the city was used for military defence. The function of the gate is different in Prestige communities. In lifestyle communities, the gate serves to define the division of services within and outside the place. In the prestige community, the gate is more symbolic, marking the quality of the environment. In commodity housing enclaves, the residents treat their residence as a space for living rather than a place for social interaction. The enlarged version of work-unit compounds is the planned residential district or so-called 'micro-region', a planning concept imported from the former Soviet Union. Work-unit based service provision is criticised for its lack of 'efficiency'. In Western market economies, gating can be seen as a response to social and economic conditions developed by 'neo-liberalism'. The emergence of commodity housing enclaves has changed the way in which urban communities are managed.
