The Changing Space of Italian Cities

Abstract

The 12 largest Italian cities show many differences with respect to their demographic and economic structure. In addition, spatial differences within cities vary. In this article, three types of cities are researched: cities with a traditionally high level of industrialization, cities in which industrialization occurred relatively recently, and cities where the administrative function dominates. It will become clear that differences in spatial segregation within cities and metropolitan areas do not necessarily coincide with these three types. Moreover, historical segregation patterns seem more important than trends of the past decades in explaining the patterns of segregation and concentration of different groups in Italian cities.