Urban Transformations and the Spatial Distribution of Foreign Immigrants in Messina

Messina exhibits a fragmented urban structure, a consequence of past historical events, mainly the 1908 earthquake. After this tragic event, Messina experienced economic downturns and nowadays it passively suffers rather than managing its considerable mercantile traffics. The fragmented urban fabric affects the residential location of foreign migrants. Related literature distinguishes between two sources of spatial segregation: apparent contagion (i.e. economic inhomogeneities affecting the urban context) and true contagion (individual preference to live close to ethnically similar neighbors). We use point pattern analysis to assess residual clustering of migrant households while adjusting for economic inhomogeneity. We implement a case–control approach to avoid confounding between the two sources: migrant households represent cases, while a random sample of natives constitutes the controls. Results show that Sri Lankans, Filipinos (exceeding one kilometer), and Romanians exhibit the highest voluntary segregation, contributing to the creation of spatial clusters that boost the polycentric structure of Messina.