Urban Inequality: Exploring the Role of Economic Segregation Across Global Cities
1
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Urban segregation is the spatial separation of populations by income, race, or other demographics. It remains a persistent feature of inequality in cities. Its influence on social outcomes and policy responses is often overlooked, particularly in comparative international contexts. This study examines how economic segregation correlates with crime and broader social indicators across a sample of global cities.
METHODS:
Sixteen major cities were selected for diversity in income distribution and segregation: Johannesburg, São Paulo, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Miami, Vienna, Amsterdam, New York City, Detroit, Toronto, Accra, Lagos, Mumbai, Istanbul, Moscow, and Beijing. Data on crime, income inequality (Gini Index), economic segregation (Dissimilarity, Theil Indices), and social outcomes were compiled from public datasets and city-level indices. Correlation analyses identified key predictors of economic segregation, including single-parent households, juvenile recidivism, safety perceptions, and public spending distributions.
RESULTS:
Economic segregation, measured by the Dissimilarity Index, showed strongest positive correlations with single-parent household percentages (r = 0.90) and juvenile recidivism (r = 0.87), exceeding those for violent crime (r = 0.54) and property crime (r = 0.51). Segregation correlated negatively with perceived safety (r = -0.76) and social trust (r = -0.74). Cities with higher economic segregation allocated greater budget shares to security (r = 0.69) and less to social services (r = -0.73), suggesting a low priority for sociological intervention. Interestingly, economic segregation was only weakly associated with absolute police spending per capita (r = 0.19), suggesting resources flow to categories other than police presence and direct police engagement.
CONCLUSIONS:
Urban economic segregation was strongly associated with family instability, youth disadvantage, and reduced social trust, more so than with overall crime prevalence. Economically segregated cities appear to allocate public resources toward security at the expense of social services and direct police services, potentially reinforcing cycles of poverty, exclusion, and systemic disadvantage.
Urban segregation is the spatial separation of populations by income, race, or other demographics. It remains a persistent feature of inequality in cities. Its influence on social outcomes and policy responses is often overlooked, particularly in comparative international contexts. This study examines how economic segregation correlates with crime and broader social indicators across a sample of global cities.
METHODS:
Sixteen major cities were selected for diversity in income distribution and segregation: Johannesburg, São Paulo, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Miami, Vienna, Amsterdam, New York City, Detroit, Toronto, Accra, Lagos, Mumbai, Istanbul, Moscow, and Beijing. Data on crime, income inequality (Gini Index), economic segregation (Dissimilarity, Theil Indices), and social outcomes were compiled from public datasets and city-level indices. Correlation analyses identified key predictors of economic segregation, including single-parent households, juvenile recidivism, safety perceptions, and public spending distributions.
RESULTS:
Economic segregation, measured by the Dissimilarity Index, showed strongest positive correlations with single-parent household percentages (r = 0.90) and juvenile recidivism (r = 0.87), exceeding those for violent crime (r = 0.54) and property crime (r = 0.51). Segregation correlated negatively with perceived safety (r = -0.76) and social trust (r = -0.74). Cities with higher economic segregation allocated greater budget shares to security (r = 0.69) and less to social services (r = -0.73), suggesting a low priority for sociological intervention. Interestingly, economic segregation was only weakly associated with absolute police spending per capita (r = 0.19), suggesting resources flow to categories other than police presence and direct police engagement.
CONCLUSIONS:
Urban economic segregation was strongly associated with family instability, youth disadvantage, and reduced social trust, more so than with overall crime prevalence. Economically segregated cities appear to allocate public resources toward security at the expense of social services and direct police services, potentially reinforcing cycles of poverty, exclusion, and systemic disadvantage.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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