Segregation, mobility and residential location of foreign workers in Duesseldorf, West Germany

A theoretical framework of ethnic segregation in West German cities is developed that describes the complex interrelationships between German and foreign mobility processes in constrained urban housing markets, and the resulting residential distributions of Germans and foreigners in the city. Ethnic differences in locational preferences, discrimination, information biases, and economic power are viewed as the potential forces of divergent German/foreign mobility patterns. The conceptual framework is translated into an analytical model of ethnic segregation. The model consists of three components: a dynamic demographic accounting submodel, a vacancy accounting submodel, and submodels of inter- and intraurban mobility. The model is empirically tested with a 1981 data base for the city of Dusseldorf, West Germany. The results confirm that housing supply constraints and foreigner's restricted access to the housing market are the most important factors in explaining ethnic residential redistributions and segregation patterns. The model's applicability in a policy context is demonstrated by simulating the effects of housing supply increases, and urban renewal policies on ethnic segregation patterns.