Transcript Over kwaliteit

Welfarestate
Intervention in urban
segregation. The Dutch
experience
Dr. Wim Ostendorf, AMIDSt
Is Urban Segregation Dangerous?




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
Big Cities Policy in The Netherlands



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
The problem of urban segregation






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’
Contribution of social sciences 1






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 2




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 3





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 4



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 socioeconomic career of the non disadvantaged people
These results might explain ‘white flight’
Households that, in 1989 and in 1994 live on a benefit in relation to the
characteristics of their environment in 1989, radius 250 meter
% weak households in the
environment in 1989
No. of households
Relative to all households not
belonging to pensioners
0– 2
2– 4
4– 6
6– 8
8 – 10
10 – 12
12 – 14
14 – 16
16 – 20
20 – 30
30 – 40
40 – 50
50 – 75
75 – 100
760
3603
6751
8485
9139
9212
8940
8638
13366
21777
7654
667
380
464
47.7
57.2
59.2
60.0
60.6
61.1
61.5
60.7
61.8
62.5
64.3
70.6
97.8
99.6
Total
99836
62.0
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
% weak households in the
environment in 1989
No. of households
Relative to all households not
belonging to pensioners
0– 2
2– 4
4– 6
6– 8
8 – 10
10 – 12
12 – 14
14 – 16
16 – 20
20 – 30
30 – 40
40 – 50
50 – 75
75 – 100
61603
112071
121544
107966
86573
69301
53045
41713
53510
57997
13583
762
217
90
6,0
7,0
7,9
8,9
10,2
11,3
12,4
13,5
14,7
19,0
24,7
24,5
22,1
35,5
Total
779975
10.8
Contribution of social sciences 5



Patterns of criminality in Amsterdam do not show a
clear relation with the segregation of poor and or nonDutch 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
Concentrations of Turks in Amsterdam
2004
Concentrations of Moroccans in
Amsterdam 2004
Concentrations of Surinamese in
Amsterdam 2004
Concentrations of all criminal acts in
Amsterdam 2002
Concentrations of pick pocketing in
Amsterdam 2002
Concentrations of bicycle robbery in
Amsterdam 2002
Concentrations of residents receiving
social benefits in Amsterdam 2003
Concentrations of immigrants of
western countries in Amsterdam 2004
Conclusion




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