A comparative, multiscalar, and multidimensional study of residential segregation in seven European capital cities

TL;DR

This study compares ethnic segregation across seven European capitals using five dimensions at multiple scales, revealing diverse patterns and scale effects that challenge common assumptions about segregation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive multiscalar, multidimensional analysis of segregation in European cities, highlighting variability across cities and scales.

Findings

Segregation levels vary significantly across dimensions and cities.

Scale impacts differ between city cores and hinterlands.

Segregation does not necessarily decrease with increasing spatial scale.

Abstract

There are relatively few comparative cross-European studies on segregation, and those that do exist often use a single measure of segregation at a single spatial scale. This paper investigates ethnic segregation in seven European capitals (Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome) using the five dimensions of segregation (centralisation, evenness, exposure, clustering, and concentration) at multiple spatial scales. For each dimension, we found very different levels of segregation. Moreover, the impact of scale was different in both between and within cities relative to their cores and hinterlands. Crucially, we found that segregation does not necessarily decrease with spatial scale.