In the United States, gated communities have increased over recent decades. These are residential areas with restricted public access, where the affluent classes segregate themselves by means of walls, fences and gates. Scholars have studied the psychology of self-segregation, its social and economic context, and the physical features of gated communities. However, geographers can also contribute to the understanding of gated communities by confirming and evaluating the residential form in the

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... egional context by means of mapping. Based on field surveys conducted in central Orange County of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, land use maps were drawn confirming 117 gated communities. Having grouped these into three types, they were then mapped to analyze their landscape features. By accumulating case studies of segregated residential areas, we are able to present an overall picture of the fragmented nature of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.