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There have not been many attempts to define gated communities in the international literature. No definitions have been applied in South Africa. The following is an attempt to start formalising such a definition and to act as a working definition for present and future studies.
Gated Communities
Gated Communities refer to a physical area that is fenced or walled off from its surroundings, either prohibiting or controlling access to these areas by means of gates or booms. In many cases, the concept can refer to a residential area with restricted access so that normally public spaces are privatised or use is restricted. It does not, however, only refer to residential areas, but may also include controlled access villages for work (office blocks), commercial and/or recreational purposes (many shopping complexes, malls etc). Gated communities can include both enclosed neighbourhoods and security villages.
 Enclosed Neighbourhoods
Enclosed neighbourhoods refer to existing neighbourhoods that have controlled access through gates or booms across existing roads. Many are fenced or walled off as well, with limited number of controlled entrances/exits and security guards at these points in some cases. The roads within these neighbourhoods were previously, or still is public property and in many cases, the local council is still responsible for public services to the community within.
 Security Villages/Complexes
Security villages/complexes refer to private developments where the entire area is developed by a private developer. These areas/buildings are physically walled or fenced off and usually have a security gate or controlled access point with/without a security guard. The roads in these developments are private, and in most of the cases, the management and maintenance is carried out by a private management body.
Many residents in South Africa firmly believe that gates and booms make people safer, and security is usually given as the main reason for neighbourhood enclosures.
Gated communities can be seen as a form of "target-hardening" (see definition below), which is generally considered as one of the principles of Crime Prevention through Design (definition below). Crime prevention through design and planning, however, does not only involve target-hardening, but a number of other principles as well, which should also be incorporated into initiatives to maximise the benefits of this approach. Target Hardening alone can therefore not be seen as the only way to implement crime prevention through environmental design.
Target Hardening
Target Hardening is the physical strengthening of building facades or boudary walls to reduce the attractiveness of potential targets. Walls around houses or burglar bars on windows are the most common examples.
Crime prevention through design and planning
This is aimed at reducing the causes of, and the opportunities for, criminal events, as well as addressing the fear of crime, through the application of sound design and management principles to the built environment. Read more 
Different approaches should be investigated before making final decisions. It should also be rembered that crime prevention through environmental design is likely to have it's greatest impact if it forms part of a local community crime prevention strategy (see definition below).
A community crime prevention strategy is:
- An action plan, to prevent crime and violence and reduce public fear of crime.
- A tool to bring together different role-players in crime prevention at local level.
- A means for developing local level crime prevention partnerships.
- A method to ensure coordination and management of crime prevention initiatives.
- A way to identify areas and tasks. Read more
Note:
To read more about crime prevention through environmental design and a community-based crime prevention strategy, consult the following documents:
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