Throughout history, urban planning practice has always been shaped by powerful ideas controlled by class interests. “Gated communities", which are becoming an increasingly distinctive feature in contemporary cities worldwide, is one such idea. It has the ability to influence existing urban rich and poor, social and economic policies and plans, urban governance and physical planning decision-making at both national and local levels. While some scholars and practitioners defend the idea for being the core urban development engine without which cities worldwide, especially in Europe and the USA, should have deteriorated dramatically after WWII; others argue their destructive impact on the long-term sustainability of cities.
This paper poses to shed light on two interlocking concerns: first, to analyze and document the impact of gated communities on urban planning development and city management. Secondly, to explore the validity of such impact in the case of the New Cairo Settlement, Egypt