Distant and Unequal: the Decline of Social Mixing in Barcelona and Madrid

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between growing socioeconomic inequality and increased residential segregation in the metropolitan areas of Barcelona and Madrid during the first decade of the 21st century. The research reveals the reasons behind increased residential segregation, as well as the different structural and contextual factors that explain the greater intensity of the phenomenon in the case of Madrid. The results are based on an analysis of data from Spain's 2001 and 2011 Censuses. The conclusions indicate that mixed residential spaces of different socioeconomic groups are in decline, which raises a challenge for social integration and is reflected in current debates in urban sociology regarding the emergence of a new urban question.