Immigrant Location Patterns in a Southern European Metropolis: The Case of Athens

Abstract

Over the last two decades, Greece has seen a substantial influx of economic immigrants giving rise to a number of studies examining the social, economic and spatial implications immigration has for the country. In terms of the spatial impact, the observed tendency is immigrants to move primarily into metropolitan areas, which offer employment opportunities and anonymity. However, very little is known with regard to the specific, intra-urban, locations immigrants choose for their residence and the factors that affect such decisions. The current study attempts to shed light on the above issues, analysing the spatial distribution of economic immigrants within the metropolitan area of Athens, their mobility patterns and the resultant metropolitan structure. Our findings indicate a slight preference for central areas, but, over the time, the general dispersion of such immigrants to peripheral locations. On these grounds, spatial segregation, to the formation of clear ethnic enclaves, seems less plausible.