Urban form in China: entering an era of more 'Gated Communities' for resilient urbanism?

Evidence presenting the pros and cons of gated communities is ubiquitous in urbanism literature. These types of settlements are generally known as suburban residential compounds that are gated (or have heavily controlled access), offer higher level surveillance and provide a series of services and facilities to the residents. In general, dwellers have a strong perception of safety associated with enclosed compounds that distinguishes them from the other types of urban forms. The gated communities are generally not open to non-dwellers and their street network are often non-permeable as part of the urban fabric. The latter means that a non-resident cannot simply cross through the gated community and must normally circumnavigate it to reach the other side. This, and several other factors, suggest their negative urban design impacts on cities and city environments.