Neighbourhood attachment and city identity in ethnically mixed areas: Comparison of natives and migrants in four European cities

Abstract

The micro-report presents a comparison of the level of place attachment and city identity for natives and migrants living in areas with relatively high shares of foreign migrants in four European cities: Bilbao, Lisbon, Thessalonica and Warsaw. The analyses are based on an international survey conducted in 2009/2010, and include a sample of 2,497 persons. The findings demonstrate that in most of the analysed areas, migrants tended to be more strongly attached to their neighbourhood than did natives. An opposite pattern was found only in Bilbao (Spain). However, compared to natives, migrants identified less with their city of residence. While future research is required to examine possible determinants of the differences in the level of neighbourhood attachment and city identity among native and migrant residents, the analyses suggest that natives living in diverse areas define themselves more strongly in relation to the whole city, while migrants do so in relation to their neighbourhood.