329presumes the freedom to enter, we experience this at the unau-
thorized transgression of a personal boundary, and we experi-
ence every infringement of a boundary as an injury done to
ourselves.’ (2005, 93)
Physically perceptible to differing degrees, the living ter-
ritory extends even further, to the limits of the property, to
the hedges, to a fence, or to the edge of the forest. In gazing
out of a window, the surroundings are incorporated into the
realm of one’s own residence, which can be accompanied by
the inconvenience of disturbing elements and the annoyance
of undesirable encroachments. It is here that conflict begins:
the individual strives to control the space of the city as his
or her own, but as a collective space, it is uncontrollable.
When the vicinity of a residential quarter is regarded as part
of one’s personal space, or as the space of one’s own family,
then public facilities may disturb one’s private life, even solely
by their appearance. A residence for people with disabilities, a
kindergarten, an athletics field, or perhaps a neighbour’s new
carport may be experienced as interfering with the enjoyment
of private living space, and may be resisted as a putative intru-
sion into the private sphere.
In recent years, the potential for conflict has been elevated
further, with the increasing valuation of individual life and a
pronounced tendency to retreat into the private realm. The
importance of personal autonomy leads to a compartmentali-
zation of the individual and his or her more intimate social
community in an expanded, social private space. The social
private space becomes a defended territory, one that must be
screened off from criminality, from strangers, or from every
sort of change. This stability is enforced with every available
power, entry is controlled, homogeneity striven for. The in-
creasing diffusion worldwide of gated communities within
which entire residential districts are converted into controlled
private spaces, with all of the required residential facilities, as
well as the privatization of a formerly public urban space in
malls etc., is only the final consequence of this tendency. But