Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Giglioli, Ilaria

Area of Concentration

Human Geography

Abstract

Although gated communities are prevalent throughout Miami-Dade County, few scholarly research exists that explains how and why they became so popular. In this thesis, I chronicle the development of gated communities in Miami from elite enclaves to common compounds, with an analysis of newspaper archives, GIS data and interviews. The first case study focuses on Doral, Florida, a suburb on the fringe of Miami-Dade, initially built out with sprawling gated estates. Because of spatial constraints today, developers have shifted to constructing high-density residences in a newly created downtown area. The second case study focuses on Liberty Square, a public housing complex under renovation. It is not a “traditional” gated community, but the entrance is secured and the building is designed to promote community surveillance. Because of the lack of available space, sprawling gated communities may not be the future of development in Miami but they continue to grow in popularity in cities with more room to grow around the US and the rest of the world.

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