How does residential segregation form in cities?
Residential segregation is the uneven concentration of income or social groups across urban neighborhoods.
Formation process and geographic mechanism
Prices and rents, credit access, historical discrimination, school zones, transport and networks constrain household choices. Small preference effects can combine with markets and institutions into large spatial separation. Segregation cannot be explained only by voluntary choice; unequal resources and opportunities matter. Inheritance and property-value gaps can preserve patterns over time.
Spatial outcomes, measurement and management
Spatial concentration can distribute school quality, job access, pollution and health unequally. Measurement changes with neighborhood scale, so citywide and block-level analyses are combined. Mixed-income housing, fair-housing enforcement and regional transport may help, while guarding against displacement.