The shape of segregation : the role of urban form in immigrant assimilation

Abstract

In this thesis I investigate the relationship between the built environment and the residential segregation of immigrants at the building level. I use micro-data that includes the exact address of all the foreign and native population in Barcelona, combined with geometric indicators for urban shape at the block level. Using these data, I construct measures of segregation over time to evaluate the degree to which individuals from different origins, share building space with other immigrants or with the native-born Spaniards. Differences in the built environment appear to have a sizable effect on how immigrants coexist with host communities. The arrival of immigrants to suburban areas is associated with less segregation than other areas. In particular, certain spatial qualities such as open space centrality, coverage and compactness are beneficial in mediating the effect of immigrants on segregation. My results reinforce the idea that a process of suburbanization might have decreased segregation between immigrants and natives, possibly due to native communities being less sensitive to coexisting with immigrant populations in less dense areas.