Urban Inequalities and Segregation

In the last 50 years, Brazil significantly reduced inequalities in social dimensions such as income, women’s participation in the labor market, and access to public services (Arretche, 2018). Nevertheless, there is evidence that levels of residential segregation increase even when social inequalities are reduced (Chetry, 2015; Feitosa et al., 2021; Marques, 2016). This suggests that segregation is not a mere reflection of social inequalities in the urban space. It should instead be seen as a complex spatio-temporal process that, while interlinked with social inequalities, presents a somewhat independent trend. It is known that urban segregation reinforces and aggravates social inequalities. As a sociological phenomenon, it hinders social interaction between groups; as a geographical phenomenon, it affects access to urban opportunities and resources - an issue that hits minority groups the hardest.  In Latin America, research on inequalities and segregation typically focuses on the socio-economic dimension, often represented by income groups. Research in urban segregation tends to emphasize residential spaces as the locus of segregation, analyze static patterns rather than dynamic processes, and be limited to a single scale of analysis. 

Recent advances in international research have expanded the research agenda on socio-spatial inequalities and segregation, pointing to new perspectives and analytical approaches. There has been a shift in paradigm towards studying the phenomenon through multiple social dimensions lens (see Boterman, 2012), multiscale analysis, and an understanding that segregation must be seen as an individual experience across the urban territory. Hence, studies should consider different places and activities, such as work, leisure, study, transport and home, in their analyses. 

While there is consensus on the importance of this new international research agenda, some of those approaches remain under-studied - in particular in the Brazilian and Latin American context. This Special Issue aims to bridge this gap and portray the state-of-art on urban segregation and inequalities. Theoretical papers on segregation and inequalities and empirical studies using novel approaches are welcome, especially those that explore the relationship between spatial patterns and behavioral dynamics, approaching these problems from urban policy and planning perspectives.

Guest editors