Understanding Process of Ethnic Concentration and Dispersal

European metropolises are becoming increasingly diverse putting the integration of immigrants and minority ethnic groups on the centre stage of political and media debates. As concerns over the social cohesion of our societies have increased, especially after recent events in ethnic neighbourhoods in various European cities, such as the recent unrest in Parisian suburbs and the so called 'race riots' in Northern English towns in 2001, so to has the importance of understanding the causes and significance of residential segregation and the implications it has on integration and cohesion. Drawing on a spatial analysis of the changing dynamics of the ethnic geography of the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area in Scotland, UK and qualitative research on the residential preferences of 40 South Asian households, this book enhances our understanding of patterns of ethnic settlement in the city and the motivations shaping these. The author documents new residential patterns, including South Asian suburbanisation into traditionally 'white' areas of the city. The processes underlying these changes and continued ethnic concentration are shown to be dynamic and complex, encompassing elements of choice and constraint but reflecting 'negotiated choices' and a diverse array of individual differentials such as class, status, education, age and culture. The book responds critically to the debate on residential segregation, including UK government policy on community cohesion, from the perspective of South Asian residents and their real housing choices.