Road – gate – enclosure : elite securityscapes in London and Mexico City

The demand for security by urban elites has driven the subtle transformation of their neighbourhoods – and the wider city – with a more closed and fragmented public realm, ‘anti-disorder’ design strategies and increasing control. This article explores signature elements of securityscapes in affluent domains of Mexico City and London, two very different cities yet with similarly fragmenting and inhibiting modes of urban design. Extensive immersion, systematic observation and visual matrixes are used to counterpose key design elements and atmospheric qualities of the securityscape: securitization, privacy and fortification, transforming the ‘path-portal-place’ elements of the city into a logic around ‘road-gate-enclosure’.