Residents’ responses to social interactions and social sustainability in gated communities of the Greater Cairo Region

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social interaction is a crucial aspect of social sustainability, aiming to improve quality of life. However, the emergence of gated communities in Egypt has shifted priorities, prioritizing isolation over social interaction. This paper examines the impact of social interaction in gated communities in the West of the Greater Cairo Region from a social sustainability perspective. This study conducted a literature review on definitions and concepts of social sustainability and social interaction. We launched an online survey to measure social interaction in our case studies. We analyzed data retrieved from the survey to assess the correlation between social interaction and sustainability indicators. The results demonstrate that social interaction neutrally affects social sustainability indicators and users’ satisfaction. The survey findings indicate that users of gated communities rarely consider social interaction, which reflects their satisfaction with the isolation in the gated communities. As such, residents of gated communities should reconsider the shared spaces within these communities to improve social interaction and enhance social sustainability. This could lead to improved quality of life for people living in gated communities. Furthermore, improved social interaction within gated communities could also help to reduce social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with a range of physical and mental health issues.