Conducive areas for gated communities and guarded neighbourhoods on the basis of physical security determined with the aid of GIS

Zurinah Tahir¹,  Khadijah Hussin², Kamaruzaman Abd Rasid ³

¹ Ph.D. candidate of Land Administration and Development, Department of Land Administration and Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

² Ph.D. in Law (Department Law), Department of Land Administration and Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

³ Department of Land Administration and Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

*Corresponding author Email: tahirzurinah@yahoo.com

Accepted 03 December, 2012

Abstract

The concept of Gated Communities (GCs) and Guarded Neighbourhoods (GNs) that are surrounded by walls and fences, and that are free of vandalism imparts the perception of security among the residents. Hence, the element of security is very important in the planning of Gated Community and Guarded Neighbourhood housing. However, the current scenario in the development of such neighbourhoods indicates that there needs to be better planning and management of physical security such as security fencing or guard posts. This research aims to discuss the criteria related to physical security features present in the current Gated Community housing. Such information can serve as a basis for the construction of spatial models and spatial analyses aided by GIS to indentify the most suitable areas for Gated Community housing. The physical security information system that is being developed will be very important to construction developers, homeowners, and especially to the planning department of the local authorities. Information from such a mapping exercise will be simplified and shared by multiple users, making it even more versatile in enhancing the management of housing development in Gated Communities and Gated Neighbourhoods.

Keywords: Gated Community, Gated Neighbourhood, Physical security, Spatial analysis model, GIS, Suitability Index