Bringing Inequality Closer: A Comparative Urban Sociology of Socially Diverse Neighborhoods

Abstract

This chapter addresses the issues of segregation and social mix by comparing two socially diverse neighbourhoods in Chicago (Cabrini Green and Near North) and Santiago (La Loma and La Florida area). It aims to understand how social relationships can be modified by a change in spatial configurations, questioning whether intergroup physical proximity triggers other processes of integration, notably functional, relational, and symbolic integration. Social mix leads to more amenities and some institutional change, but not to upward social mobility for the poor. Moreover, intergroup relationships in these socially mixed neighbourhoods are marked by fear, distrust, and avoidance and governed by increased material and symbolic competition. Ultimately, the physical proximity of social mix conceals the persistence of inequality and the forces that are actively maintaining segregation.