Semblance of a Whole

Gated Communities, Gated Minds

According to an article in today's Pioneer Press, gated communities, popular for many years in other big cities, are finally starting to take hold here in the Twin Cities. Definitely not my style, and I hope, for the sake of the future viability of the area, that it doesn't appeal to many others, either. According to the article, Minnesotans have long resisted these kinds of developments, but it seems that attitudes are now changing, primarily due to fear of crime. Asked about the appeal of gated communities, one resident quoted in the article replied as follows:

"Ask that family that was walking in Uptown to dinner," responded Greg Olson, who lives and sells real estate in Bearpath [a gated community in Eden Prairie], referring to a 25-year-old student killed by a stranger in March while walking with his mother in Minneapolis.

As a resident of Uptown, I was just as horrified as anyone about this crime, which I would argue, was just as out of character for Uptown as it would be for Eden Prairie. However, I don't see Bearpath or other suburban gated communities as a viable response to this situation. I would like to point out something to Mr. Olson. He may be marginally safer in Bearpath, but he can't walk to a restaurant for dinner. He will have to get in his car and drive somewhere, perhaps Uptown, where we have a plethora of excellent dining establishments which local residents can walk to. If you really want to be absolutely safe, you'll have to eat in.

Posted by ldfs at June 14, 2006 3:06 PM | TrackBack