Spatial Patterns and Indicators of Immigrant Residential Segregation in Catalonia’s Medium-Sized Cities

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of residential segregation among the three largest foreign-born populations residing in Spain: Moroccans, Romanians, and Colombians. Using data from Spain’s Population and Housing Census (INE), the research analyzed the segregation index across 34 urban areas in medium-sized cities. Three urban areas in Catalonia were selected for the intraurban case studies, and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for 60 sociodemographic variables. The objectives were to identify indicators that helped diagnose potential segregation contexts and to explore residential patterns by country of origin. The study was grounded in a central premise: the foreign-born population cannot be treated as a homogeneous group, as aggregation conceals group-specific inequalities and differentiated spatial configurations. The findings showed that segregation occurred. Moroccans exhibited the highest levels of segregation, which was associated with socioeconomic vulnerability and also a marked residential preference for central urban areas. Colombians displayed lower levels of segregation and greater territorial dispersion, pointing to broader residential access. Romanians presented intermediate and heterogeneous patterns, which combined localized concentrations with peripheral settlement. The results highlighted how intraurban differentiation emerged from interactions between different migrant profiles, housing opportunity structures, and urban morphology, providing an empirical basis on which to design targeted urban policies.

This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN): Socio-spatial Segregation and Geographies of Everyday Life in Medium-Sized Spanish Cities and Their Urban Areas (PID2021-124511NB-C21). The APC was funded by PID2021-124511NB-C21