Geographies of Whiteness and Wealth: White, Middle Class Discourses on Segregation and Social Mix in Flanders, Belgium

While policy makers in different parts of the world are worried about the supposedly negative consequences of spatial concentrations of ethnic minorities and/or disadvantaged people, researchers continue the debate about the desirability and feasibility of social mix. In this article, we add to this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of urban affairs 2015-10, Vol.37 (4), p.478-495
Main Authors: Schuermans, Nick, Meeus, Bruno, Decker, Pascal De
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Disadvantaged
Middle class
Minority & ethnic groups
Minority groups
Neighborhoods
Policy making
Residents
Segregation
Social classes
Social privilege
Suburban areas
Urban areas
Urban studies
Wealth
White people
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Summary:While policy makers in different parts of the world are worried about the supposedly negative consequences of spatial concentrations of ethnic minorities and/or disadvantaged people, researchers continue the debate about the desirability and feasibility of social mix. In this article, we add to this literature by focusing on the often neglected, but crucial practices and discourses of the privileged in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 74 white, middle class residents of eight different neighborhoods of the Ghent urban region in Belgium, we demonstrate that few middle class whites actually want to live in a mixed neighborhood. We also make it clear that those living in diversity do not necessarily take up the roles they are expected to take up by the advocates of social mix policies. Drawing on these findings, we propose to broaden the research agenda of studies on segregation and social mix.
ISSN:0735-2166
1467-9906
DOI:10.1111/juaf.12155