SegUrb

Segregation in the urban regions of Upper Austria

Problem definition

Problem definition

Large cities, metropolises, and capitals have traditionally been the focus of segregation research (Musterd 2020), while the analysis of socio-spatial imbalances in the context of small and medium-sized towns only plays a comparatively minor role. However, a number of existing studies reveal that small and medium-sized towns are likewise characterised by a considerable degree of residential segregation (Helbig and Jähnen 2018). Segregation in small and medium-sized towns represent a relevant research gap in the literature (Schmidt-Lauber 2010), with the absence of small-scale data being cited as the main reason for this lack of research. This is particularly problematic as segregation trends in small and medium-sized towns are primarily relevant within neighbourhoods and districts.

Methodology

Residential segregation is calculated for the eight Upper-Austrian urban regions (delineated according to the urban-rural typology of Statistics Austria). In order to estimate the housing-market and location effect, the analyses will be carried out on 250m grid cells, but within the grid cells the data will be linked at the level of individual residential buildings. The Austrian Microdata Centre (AMDC) is responsible for linking the housing-market and location indicators with the socio-economic variables. Subsequently, segregation is calculated on the basis of the microdata within and between the 250m grid cells.