New forms of residential fortification in the metropolitan peripheries of Belo Horizonte: how are segregation patterns affected?

In recent years, metropolitan growth has been associated with the increase of social inequalities and the diffusion of security practices such as surveillance cameras, gates and fences. In several cities of Latin America, urban sprawl is deeply connected to the rise of new gated developments, which are marked by residential fortification and the privatization of public spaces. This paper aims at assessing the impact of new forms of residential fortification on social patterns in the metropolitan peripheries of Belo Horizonte. First, a literature review highlights recent debates on the dissemination of securitization features in urban spaces. Second, a quantitative analysis demonstrates that the recent production of secured residential complexes ultimately aggravates segregation. The analysis of three main types of gated developments emphasizes that the social and spatial expansion of the suburban housing market produces socioeconomic dissimilarities that are found to be associated with residential enclosure, thus defining more homogeneous and segregated territories.

Segregation and housing; Urban sprawl; Gating; Residential fortification