Madrid's Walled Luxury Estates: a New Model for Real Estate and Territorial Organization

Abstract

The paper comments recent investigation into the spread of what has come to be known as gated communities,
the term being taken from the U.S.A. where research into the phenomenon has gone furthest, it being the
most widespread in that country. Those estates coming under the term are usually understood as being
private, socially homogeneous, exclusively serviced and equipped ( such services beings taken to include
both Security and vigilance) the cost of the foregoing being met by the householders in community in
accordance with regulations freely entered into, the whole being walled or fenced off from the outside world.
The analysis the paper makes fall under four major headings in keeping with the aspects of the question here
thought most relevant. The first considers how far the phenomenon has gone in Madrid, finding it indicative
of a major break with a more or less continuous tradition of an open organising of things and thus a break
with this way of doing things that has offered a jump off threshold to the so-called diffuse or fragmentary
city made up of specialised though unlinked elements, an alternative way of seeing things urban does not
only alter the cityscape and the way its territory in parcelled out for use but goes along with and even
brings on major social change and in the long run leads to major economic upheaval. The second heading
looks into the ins and outs proper to promoting such real estate finding the landowners to have the major
voice in the process and a marked presence of economically very solventand powerful companies that have
made the field their speciality. The third heading considers the proper nature of the product highlighting its
novelties as against the traditional model for suburban estates of a similar standing. The last heading goes
into the outstanding features of the workings of these estates finding amongst these the house owners' urge
to be exclusive and preserve their privacy at all costs being met more than halfway by permissive or penniless
local government this countenancing all manner of complex administrative mechanisms for jointly owned
private property and permitting the convenient handling of property in the public domain touched upon by
such estate.