Multi-Level and Multi-Group Spatial Segregation in Latin American Mega-Cities: An Analysis of Lima, Peru

Paul A. Peters, University of Texas at Austin
Emily Skop, University of Texas at Austin

The urban structures of Latin American mega-cities are recognised to be unique and intimately related to the economic and social instabilities that have typified countries in the region. Widespread social and economic inequality and highly segregated development patterns have contributed to a socially and culturally fragmented urban environment. Measures of segregation developed for measuring minority and majority interactions capture only certain aspects of segregation and ignore spatial interaction possibilities and physical geographic influences. As such, conventional measures of segregation advocated in the literature need to be reworked to accurately capture important aspects of urban structure and development patterns. This paper utilizes Peruvian census data to analyze segregation patterns in Lima, Peru using adjusted spatial measures to gain a deeper understanding of social interaction processes within the urban environment.