In the United States 'gated communities' like CityWalk in Los Angeles are on the increase, especially in the suburbs. In Britain there are few gated communities, though privately policed shopping malls are more common and there are similar trends of suburbanisation. The point is to deter people who have no business being there', according to Canary Wharf Ltd spokeswoman Georgie Gibbs. For the wealthy, gated communities are an option but for most people home will have to do. The underlying sentiment is similar nonetheless.
Public space is a dangerous place.
As much as possible people prefer to live their lives in the safety of their own families. But above all the disaggregation of collective life is a political trend. There is nothing inherent in the new means of communication, whether satellite or Internet, that means that people have to turn inwards to the family for comfort. That is all down to the political climate which makes the public world seem dissatisfying and dangerous. The massive extension of public life that began at the turn of the century was premised upon the entry of the masses into politics.