Fragmentation of Urban Space in Latin America: a GIS approach to the analysis of segregation in Lima

Abstract

The complex nature of urban space within Latin America’s major cities limits the applicability of many empirical measures of segregation. However, the development of integrated spatial measures allows for the measurement of highly localised patterns of segregation between multiple groups across multiple dimensions. This paper presents a methodology for integrating spatial analysis and GIS tools as an explicit part of investigating the nature and patterns urban segregation. Using Lima, Peru and an example, the related processes of segregation and fragmentation are unpacked across multiple social dimensions and spatial scales. Additionally, this paper empirically tests the theoretical proposition that social groups in Latin America are becoming increasingly fragmented rather than segregated.