Immigration, segregation and urban development in Athens: The relevance of the la debate for Southern European metropolises

Abstract

This paper focuses on the theoretical discussion of the links between segregation of immigrants and processes of urban development in southern European cities and on their empirical exploration in the case of Athens. From a theoretical point of view, this paper discusses how accounts of urban fragmentation, immigration, and ethnic segregation in the US debate would be beneficial to the exploration of similar issues in southern European cities. Empirically, a number of indices have been estimated, to outline for the first time in the Greek literature, key dimensions of segregation of different immigrant groups in Athens. The paper concludes that although Athens can be considered as one of the most plural Southern European metropolises new forms of centralised and decentralised socio-ethnic segregation have emerged deserving not only a detailed empirical investigation but also the elaboration of novel theoretical concepts.