New comparative study about socio-economic segregation in European capital city-regions
Our research team members Martin Ouředníček and Martin Šimon contributed to a large-scale international comparative study recently published in the prestigious journal Urban Studies. The study examines the development of socio-economic segregation in 16 European capital city-regions and brings new insights into how this trend has changed over the past decade.
What the research is about
Previous research based on 2001 and 2011 census data indicated rising levels of residential segregation between socio-economic groups in many large city-regions in Europe as well as globally. Rising segregation is an important societal concern, as place of residence plays a crucial role in shaping access to urban opportunities, and residential isolation can be especially harmful for the most vulnerable groups. Income inequality was identified as the primary driver of this trend.
The new study builds on this research and extends it by incorporating the latest 2021 census and register-based data. The aim was to determine whether segregation levels in European cities have continued to rise, whether they have peaked, or whether there are signs of desegregation. The authors also examined how changes in segregation align with shifts in income inequality and occupational structures.
Key findings
A comparative analysis of 16 European capital city-regions shows a slowdown in the rise of segregation over the past decade, with some city-regions transitioning from segregation to desegregation. These changes coincide with both a slowdown in the growth of income inequality and increased professionalisation of the workforce.
The study also suggests a direction for future research, which should focus on the mechanisms driving residential desegregation in different urban contexts, with particular attention to the diversification of residential patterns among the expanding professional class.
Author team
The study was conducted by a large international team of authors: Rūta Ubarevičienė, Maarten van Ham, Leandro Basílio Junior, Māris Bērziņš, Kevin Credit, Diogo Gaspar Silva, Richard Harris, Kadi Kalm, Timo Kauppinen, Zaiga Krišjāne, Jorge Malheiros, Thomas Maloutas, David Manley, Sako Musterd, Oriol Nel·lo, Milena Nevanto, Ladislav Novotný, Martin Ouředníček, Sergio Porcel, Antonine Ribardière, Martin Šimon, Maciej Smętkowski, Stavros Spyrellis, Magnus Strömgren, Wouter van Gent, Terje Wessel and Tiit Tammaru.