Privatized Communities and the Secession of the Successful : Democracy and Fairness Beyond the Gate

In this essay, I will reflect on how common interest developments, and their privatized spaces, are contributing to a broader phenomenon of civic secession, primarily by affluent property owners. In particular, I will analyze the way in which CIDs may affect electoral politics and the allocation of public resources by federal and state government. The chief threat of CIDs is that they exacerbate inequality in America while also exacerbating the challenges of governing. By giving the private property owner a formal context in which to feel justified in her view that she is doing her part simply by paying her way for services, it will be increasingly difficult in the twenty-first century to establish a mandate for governmental policy, whether federal, state, or local, that requires shared sacrifice. Because most CIDs are extremely homogenous in terms of race and class, it will be particularly difficult to build a consensus for public policies that are perceived as benefiting racial and economic groups that are underrepresented in the CID, property-holding class