Bridging Divides - Residential Segregation in Asia and Africa

Inequality is a complex issue encompassing economic, social, spatial, environmental, and political dimensions. These dimensions vary across cultural, socioeconomic, age, gender, religious, and citizenship status. The dimensions of residential and spatial segregation have become increasingly significant, particularly under the widely adopted neo-liberal urban development regime. Residential segregation shapes the horizons of urban lives and impacts housing, mobility, asset values, infrastructure as well as access to health and education. It determines the narratives of city’s "core" and "periphery" and mirrors housing inadequacy. Consequently, it critically affects, and is affected by, urban policies, particularly in metropolitan cities where intra-urban disparities can be of large magnitudes and affect thousands of people.
Residential Segregation and spatial inequalities is an important theme for social science since long time but research tends to focus on income inequalities and analyses are largely carried out at national or city level through the lens of income and neoliberal economic restructuring.

This event aims to facilitate rethinking segregation and inequality through a spatial lens. It will help to understand its structure, drivers, implications and solutions, based on a “New Social Contract” and a “New Global Deal” that create equal opportunities for all and respect the rights and freedoms of all. Understanding residential segregation in the Asia and Africa is all the more important in relation to the achievement of UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 10 (Reduce inequality within and among countries) and SDG 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable). The event will try to explore local action essential in transforming the global goals into reality at the local level, in line with national frameworks and communities’ priorities.

Beyond some generic studies on the striking division between the rich and poor, slums and planned colonies, very little is known about the incidence and the impacts of residential segregation in Asia and Africa cities. This event will also build knowledge on how climate induced vulnerability and COVID-19 pandemic have widened the inequalities and undermined social cohesion, eroded public trust, and deepened political polarization, all of which have undermined governments’ ability and readiness to respond to the crisis.

The event will centre on presentations from Asia and Africa and initiate dialogues and debate among researchers, policy makers and civil society. The presentations will facilitate dissemination of innovative localised solutions in creating equitable spaces which do not compound existing problems.

The panel (moderator, presenters and discussants) will be inclusive with a gender balance of eminent scholars.