Immigrant Settlement Structures in Germany: General Patterns and Urban Levels of Concentration of Major Groups

Abstract

This article investigates the settlement structures of foreigners and, specifically, of Turks, ex-Yugoslavs, Italians, Greeks and ex-Soviets in Germany. The main data source is the as yet unexploited dataset of the Inner-city Spatial Observatory, complemented by data from the 2005 sample census and city statistics. Immigrant settlement is shown to be widely dispersed across west German cities. Within cities, ethnic neighbourhoods are rare. Immigrants typically live in multi-ethnic environments. Although differences exist between national groups, the level of ethnic residential concentration is relatively low in Germany. Hypotheses on the reasons for these findings are developed, focusing on the historical circumstances of migration, the structure of the German housing market, immigrant-specific state intervention as well as ethnic group differences regarding financial resources, discrimination and ethnic preferences.