Socioeconomic segregation in European capital cities

Increasing separation between poor and rich

Journal Article (2016)
Author(s)

Sako Musterd (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Szymon Marcińczak (Uniwersytet Lodzki)

M. Van Ham (University of St Andrews, TU Delft - OLD Urban Renewal and Housing)

T. Tammaru (University of Tartu)

Research Group
OLD Urban Renewal and Housing
Copyright
© 2016 Sako Musterd, Szymon Marcińczak, M. van Ham, T. Tammaru
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2016.1228371
More Info
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Publication Year
2016
Language
English
Copyright
© 2016 Sako Musterd, Szymon Marcińczak, M. van Ham, T. Tammaru
Research Group
OLD Urban Renewal and Housing
Issue number
7
Volume number
38 (2017)
Pages (from-to)
1062-1083
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Abstract

Socioeconomic inequality is on the rise in major European cities, as are concerns over it, since it is seen as a threat to social cohesion and stability. Surprisingly, relatively little is known about the spatial dimensions of rising socioeconomic inequality. This paper builds on a study of socioeconomic segregation in 12 European cities: Amsterdam, Athens, Budapest, London, Madrid, Oslo, Prague, Riga, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vienna, and Vilnius. Data used derive from national censuses and registers for 2001 and 2011. The main conclusion is that socioeconomic segregation has increased. This paper develops a rigorous multifactor approach to understand segregation and links it to four underlying, partially overlapping, structural factors: social inequalities, globalization and economic restructuring, welfare regimes, and housing systems. Taking into account contextual factors resulted in a better understanding of actual segregation levels, while introducing time lags between structural factors and segregation outcomes will likely further improve the theoretical model.