Welfarestate Intervention in urban segregation. The Dutch experience

1. Welfarestate Intervention in urban segregation. The Dutch experience Dr. Wim Ostendorf, AMIDSt

2. Question has already been answered positively and policies have been designed aiming at decreasing segregation But urban segregation is normal, unavoidable and wanted Many forms of urban segregation are ignored: of the rich, students or elderly Segregation of poor people and of ethnic groups, in particular the combination of both, is seen as a problem Is Urban Segregation Dangerous?

3. Preventing ‘income-neighbourhoods’, areas homogeneous with respect to income (read: low income) by urban restructuring Creating mixed neighbourhoods by destroying low cost housing and rebuilding new, more expensive housing: this will bring higher income population into the neighbourhood Or: this will offer a chance on a housing career within the same neighbourhood for the upwardly mobile, preventing selective out migration Big Cities Policy in The Netherlands

4. The problem is not made very clear The aim is increasing social cohesion or integration Integration however, is a vague concept containing economic, social, political and cultural connotations Some people think that the economic domain is essential and that the other aspects will follow But others say that social integration is central and that this will lead to economic progress Many people just want rapid social and cultural assimilation: behaving and thinking ‘like us’ The problem of urban segregation

5. Urban policies and social science are two separate worlds: urban policies not based on research However, nature of the problem and high costs of the urban restructuring ask for a solid foundation Social differences and social inequality are translated into selective activities and also into segregation: social distance is translated into physical distance In this view segregation is an effect and not a cause; fighting segregation is then ‘Kurieren am Symptom’ And increasing inequality will result in stronger segregation Consequently fighting against inequality is more appropriate than fighting against segregation Contribution of social sciences 1

6. Research in Human Geography and Urban Sociology point to the impact of the urban context on all kind of social phenomena These insights justify the question if a segregated situation is having a social effect But the outcome of this research should not be taken for granted, because people can and do avoid contexts that they do not accept The outcome can be different for different categories and for different contexts Contribution of social sciences 2

7. Relevant research findings are the following Segregation levels in European cities are low compared to the USA; as a consequence neighbourhoods are already relatively mixed There is no strong increase in segregation levels, at least in The Netherlands But the share of foreign population is increasing In Europe there is no strong link between segregation level and the introduction of urban policies fighting segregation Contribution of social sciences 3

8. Research in The Netherlands on the effect of living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood did not show a clear negative effect on the socio-economic career of the disadvantaged people However, it did show some effect on the socio-economic career of the non disadvantaged people These results might explain ‘white flight’ Contribution of social sciences 4

9. Households that, in 1989 and in 1994 live on a benefit in relation to the characteristics of their environment in 1989, radius 250 meter

10. Households that in 1989 had at least one paid job and in 1994 lived on a benefit in relation to the characteristics of their environment in 1989, radius 250 meter

11. Patterns of criminality in Amsterdam do not show a clear relation with the segregation of poor and or non-Dutch people Hot spots of criminality are found in areas of the central city, not in the neighbourhoods where poor people and/or many ethnic minorities live Hot spots of criminality are not related to the residential population, but to the opportunities offered to the visiting population: going out, shopping, events Contribution of social sciences 5

12. Concentrations of Turks in Amsterdam 2004

13. Concentrations of Moroccans in Amsterdam 2004

14. Concentrations of Surinamese in Amsterdam 2004

15. Concentrations of all criminal acts in Amsterdam 2002

16. Concentrations of pick pocketing in Amsterdam 2002

17. Concentrations of bicycle robbery in Amsterdam 2002

18. Concentrations of residents receiving social benefits in Amsterdam 2003

19. Concentrations of immigrants of western countries in Amsterdam 2004

20. Urban policies fighting segregation need far more research regarding its presuppositions In particular when the idea ‘integration depends on segregation’ is involved; in popular terms: salvation through new neighbours In the meantime direct policies instead of these indirect policies should get more attention: improving the labour market position and the education of the disadvantaged population Or stated more general: decreasing socio-economic inequality Conclusion