MetaTOC stay on top of your field, easily

Neighbourhood Attachment in Ethnically Diverse Areas: The Role of Interethnic Ties

,

Urban Studies: An International Journal of Research in Urban Studies

Published online on

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between ethnic diversity in the neighbourhood and attachment to it, while addressing the role of interethnic relations—both within and beyond the neighbourhood—and differentiating between native and migrant residents. The analyses rely on data from an international research project conducted in 2009/10 among residents of ethnically diverse areas in six European cities: Bilbao, Lisbon, Rotterdam, Thessalonica, Vienna and Warsaw. The obtained results confirm earlier findings as regards the general negative association between ethnic diversity and neighbourhood attachment, but more importantly, reveal that having interethnic relations moderates this relationship differently for natives and migrants. Ethnic diversity does not erode neighbourhood attachment for natives who have ties with people of other ethnicities, or for migrants with mono-ethnic ties. This pattern is explained by the different meaning that a diverse setting has for natives and for migrants. Possible implications of these findings are also discussed.