Gated Communities of Poland. Isolation and the Modern City

Gated communities are among the most significant symbols of the social and economic changes that took place in our part of Europe. The number and variety of these communities raise many questions not only among the critically-minded urban or social researchers but in the residents themselves, living on either side of the fence. In his lecture, Jacek Gądecki does not treat gated communities purely as physical objects, but above all as socio-cultural constructs. Prior to analyzing the media discourse of gated communities, the wider context of the phenomenon, as well as changes in urban studies, was considered. As can be concluded from the analyzed discourse, gated communities are places that bring together residents of similar status; define aesthetic standards, and shape tastes, whereby they also limit the freedom of individual choice and decision and even control human behaviour.