Capturing disaster-induced perturbation in the degree and directionality of urban income segregation based on residents’ consumption activities

Increasing income segregation has become a pressing issue in metropolitan areas, due to its impact on social equity and overall urban welfare. In the disaster context, understanding income segregation plays an important role in eliminating social inequity and fostering sustainable development. However, knowledge about the influence of natural disasters on income segregation is largely missing in existing literature. To address this gap, this study proposed new indices to measure the degree and directionality of income segregation at both spatial level and individual experience level, based on residents' consumption activities extracted from their mobility trajectories. By investigating the 2021 Winter Storm Uri in Austin, Texas, this study then examined the perturbations in income segregation under disaster impact. Key findings revealed that the place's income segregation shifted towards low-income groups, and the individual's experienced income segregation magnified and polarized. Meanwhile, the disparities of income segregation across different communities reduced. In addition, compared to high-income groups, low-income groups experienced more segregated social interactions in consumption activities over a relatively longer period of time during winter storm. These findings offer policy implications for enhancing disaster response and recovery strategies to meet the specific needs of different communities and income groups.