Constructing Inequality

In the essay by Susan Bickford, it is in my opinion that an attempt was made to reconnect political theory to the study of cities by probing the link between built environment, public life, and democratic politics. This essay also brought to the surface how inequalities in communities and differences in opinions regarding diversity has ultimately come to affect the communities in which we live.

Throughout reading this essay, I was constantly questioning what this essay was theorizing. Is Susan Bickford talking about segregation or CID’s in general. In my opinion, CID’s are a form of conscious segregation. People purposely desire communities with other people who have the same common interests, ambitions, and goals. People in the CID’s as a community wish to keep certain individuals and certain circumstances out of their community. CID’s represent a comfort zone to the people of their community which provides a sense of security. It is easier for residents to trust the other residents in CID’s.

I live in a very small town of less than 3200 where there may be a stretch of seven houses grouped together. There is no ‘ghetto’ or what people may address as ‘bad neighborhood’. Invisible gates are the only gates that exist in my town. A lot of people I know don’t lock their houses or vehicles at night or when they go to work. People leave containers for money when selling a product if they are not going to be around instructing people to leave the money in the container. For my community, this works.

Opinions are very strong and non-diverse in the community in which I live, especially with the older generations. My uncles are very opinionated when it comes to opposite races. There is a lack of diversity in regards to different origins in my community. The majority of my community are caucasian have lived in San Fran where your best friend is of a different nationality. In Monmouth, you will be lucky to see somebody other than caucasian. However, in other heavily populated areas of Maine, minorities are becoming more prevalent. My husband and I are teaching our daughter to accept all individuals regardless of their race.

CID’s tend to attract higher class individuals who can afford this type of lifestyle. Residents in CIDs pay to belong to the CID along with municipals taxes of every home owner. The residents pay extra for the gated community which includes security, common interests, and sometimes health facilities. Not only CID’s govern their own community, they also have to abide their town ordinances.

The question I ask is this: Are CID’s walling people in or out? Are the walls being formed segregation walls or are they walls that are formed with only the hopes to keep their environment filtered.

I am not sure I agree with the ghetto being the opposite of middle class CID. I believe the opposite of the ghetto would be the wealthy community. It is my belief that the main differences between these two groups are financial availability. Ghettos primarily consist of the poor and uneducated. Wealthy communities consist of higher education people and have financial means to attain most anything they desire.