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Abstract:
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This paper is about the current state of gated subdivisions in East Baton Rouge Parish , Louisiana . It provides a list , map , and relevant census data of the gated subdivisions in each of the three cities in the parish in which they are found—Baton Rouge , Central , and Zachary—and the unincorporated areas of the parish . It also examines comprehensive plan elements that relate to gated subdivisions , and whether actual gated developments adhere to the plan’s principles .
It is important to examine gated developments in East Baton Rouge Parish because they have an effect on the social , fiscal , and public health of their inhabitants and the surrounding communities . The population of East Baton Rouge Parish is growing , which means that new housing units will be built in the near future , many in new subdivisions . The characteristics and placement of housing are major components of an area’s quality of life , and the governments in East Baton Rouge Parish have the opportunity and the responsibility to influence future quality of life by carefully and thoroughly considering their residential developments . An understanding of gated neighborhoods in the area will add to citizens’ and governments’ ability to thoroughly consider future residential development . No comprehensive list or map of gated subdivisions exists for any part of the parish . By mapping them now , and providing a “state of the parish” report , interested citizens and planners at all levels of government can track the increase or decrease of gated communities . Showing that there is sometimes a difference between a comprehensive plan’s stated objective and the reality of gated communities may encourage closer scrutiny before future gated developments are approved . |