Housing Systems and Ethnic Spatial Segregation: Comparing the Capital Cities of Four Nordic Welfare States

Residential spatial segregation is related to housing markets and housing policies. In this paper, ethnic segregation is compared across four Nordic capitals and explanations for the differences are examined by comparing the housing markets and housing policies of the countries. The housing markets in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are ethnically segmented with high concentrations of immigrants in some forms of tenures (especially social/public housing) and low concentrations in others. The paper shows that the spatial distribution of immigrants is strongly connected with the tenure composition of neighbourhoods. Ethnic segmentation of housing tenures thus contributes to segregation, but the effect is much dependent on how tenures are distributed across space. In one of the cities, the policy of neighbourhood tenure mix has resulted in a relatively low degree of segregation in spite of high concentrations of immigrants in social/public housing.