Standards of living and segregation in twelve French metropolises

Abstract

[eng] Urban public policies are required to reconcile targeted measures with more comprehensive measures promoting social diversity, and to arbitrate between conurbations, as well as neighbourhoods within conurbations. Localised data on tax and social income (Filosofi, Insee) are used to calculate segregation indicators to compare urban areas, their centre-cities, suburbs and outer suburbs ; by developing a fairly simple typology, it becomes possible to map out the neighbourhoods, rich or poor, that most contribute to social disparities. This article presents the resulting analyses for twelve metropolises. The level of segregation in them is higher in the centre-cities and suburban areas than on the periphery. It is more marked for high living standards. Segregation is the most pronounced in the urban areas of Lille, Paris and Aix-Marseille. Depending on the situations, segregation is more marked in the centre-city (Aix-Marseille, Strasbourg, Nantes) or in the suburbs (Paris, Lyon, Lille). These differences often stem from local urban history and housing policies.