Multiple dimensions of residential segregation. The case of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam

ABSTRACTIn this contribution, we analyze residential segregation not just on the basis of dimenions of migration background and income but also according to educational level, class fractions, labor market status, and the employment sector . We use individual-level geocoded data for the entire population of the Metropolitan Area of Amsterdam to analyze residential orientations of households at eight different neighborhood types based on different levels of social mix, taking into account their employment sector, their age, educational attainment, income, type of contract, and migration background. We find that segregation based on income is relatively moderate but segregation on the basis of migration background and educational attainment level is relatively high. Multinomial regression models show that different class fractions are oriented to very different residential milieus. We conclude that a combination of dimensions of social positions yields a more nuanced and better conceptual framework for understanding the social geographies of urban areas.