The Phantom Gatehouse
Yesterday’s LA Times has an article about the trend toward fake gated communities. Shockingly, residents are finding that there are disadvantages to actually seceding from the surrounding city; for example, hiring their own trustworthy security forces, and maintaining their own streets. Still, people want the illusion of security:
Residents of Harbor View in Newport Beach recently remodeled the unmanned white guard shacks that stand at several entryways to the community. The shacks imply a private community, but anybody is free to come and go.No comment necessary.“They provide a sense of identity,” said Richard Gollis, a real estate consultant who lives there.