compound [residential area]

[Alaor Santos]

HI everyone

In Brazil it is very common to see nice houses - mostly very nice houses - built on a shared piece of land. The main purpose of this kind of residential area is security - privacy? None -.These houses are much safer than any detached house anywhere. Only apartment buildings are safer than these private compounds. I am not sure about the term, though. What do you call this kind of residential area?

Thank you

 

[Egmont]

A compound, in AE, usually consists of several buildings belonging to the same group, often an extended family. The Kennedy Compound on Cape Cod is one example. The Branch Davidian compound, which belonged to a rather strange religious sect and was attacked by the U.S. FBI (with great loss of life on both sides) in 1993, is another.

If the people who own the houses aren't related by blood, marriage or at least friendship, I'd call it a gated community.

 

[Hau Ruck]

Only apartment buildings are safer than these private compounds. I am not sure about the term, though. What do you call this kind of residential area?

I see nothing wrong with the term you used; private compound.

 

[George French]

I see nothing wrong with the term you used; private compound.

It is fairly common. I was surprised that Google showed that tprivate compound was used more in the UK than in the USA.

GF..

 

[Myridon]

shared land ... security - privacy ... private

Is the criterion that the houses have security and privacy or that the houses (and the land) are privately owned by the same family/group? If the houses are owned by unrelated individuals, it's not a private compound (in US English).

 

[Alaor Santos]

The houses are owned by unrelated individuals. Anyone can buy a piece of land to build a house on. Can I call it a private compound?

 

[Alaor Santos]

I think gated community is the word, thanks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gated_community#High_security_restricted_access

 

[Matomic]

Have you heard of the term "gated community?"

Wikipedia
A gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences.

edit: You found it right before I posted =)

 

[Alaor Santos]

What if these areas are very small, say, a piece o land with 6 row houses on it. Would I still call it a gated community?

Thanks

 

[PaulQ]

As long as it fell inside the definition given by Matomic, then, 'Yes'. Perhaps "a small gated community."

 

[Myridon]

Have you heard of the term "gated community?"
edit: You found it right before I posted =)

Egmont mentioned it yesterday in Post #2 of this thread.

A gated community is usually planned by a developer who lays out the roads and builds the fence and gate, etc. Perhaps you could describe how these groups of houses come about, who builds them, who takes care of the common areas, etc. All these types of things are going to influence how we think of this thing. Having to ask you a long series of questions while you give us one piece of data at a time is going to take a long time.

 

[PaulQ]

The difficulty may be that in Brazil, they may do things differently. In the UK, there are two types of development (i.e. group of houses) that have this idea.

1. A private estate - with this, there are rarely walls encompassing the area, although there might be a hedge. The roads might be maintained by the local authority or not.

2. A gated community - this does have walls around it and gates that only the residents can open. This is usually built to prevent criminals entering. The roads will probably be maintained by the residents. The whole area inside may have a caretaker.

I think meaning 2 is closest to what you wish to say.

 

[Alaor Santos]

We have in Brazil all sizes of gated communities. They vary from, as I said above, a piece of land with 6 houses on it - row or detached - to bigger properties with nice houses in them, say, 20, 30. The owner of the land is usually a big estate agency, a construction company or even a private investor. They divide the land and sell theses building sites. A possible buyer goes and checks out this empty site and starts building on it. No one knows each other. We also have this same pattern in rural areas where country houses are built. We call it here 'enclosed condo', all of them. My question is, once these houses or properties are enclosed by a wall - usually very well protected -, can I call all of them, regardless their size, gated community?

Thanks

 

[PaulQ]

Alaor Santos,

Do these private compounds have gates and walls?

 

[Hau Ruck]

Alaor Santos,
Do these private compounds have gates and walls?

That was my question as well. I had to delete it because of his post #13. The last line there he talks of walls being put around the compound. I guess gated community would indeed work.

 

[Alameen]

Hello Experts
what do you call an un-gated cluster of houses attached to a government office and designated for its employees?