Making Sense of Segregation in a Well-Connected City: The Case of Berlin

Abstract

This chapter analyses socioeconomic segregation and segregation by migration background for Berlin, Germany. Berlin’s history of division and reunification affected suburbanization patterns and the unequal economic restructuring of the city over time. Within this historical context, we present our empirical results on segregation, and we reflect on the implications of segregation for the daily use of the city. Arguments that segregation affects access to amenities (as in the literature on ‘food deserts’) or reduces access to jobs (as in spatial mismatch theories) are not so useful for Berlin with its strong public transport infrastructure. We find that socioeconomic segregation was moderate and stable for the working-age population between 2007 and 2016, whereas segregation of poor children increased. At the same time, segregation of foreigners and segregation by migration background strongly declined. And yet, even though segregation levels are low and public services are present everywhere, the social use of the city, we argue, may be more segregated than statistical indicators suggest. Drawing on various case studies, we suggest that the use of the overall city reflects segregation patterns of the use of space for other reasons than commonly suggested.