At present, politicians in the Netherlands tend to pay more attention to bridging cultural gaps between various ethnic groups than reducing class differences. In that context, it is frequently assumed that ethnic integration processes can be facilitated by establishing a mixed population. In...

It is difficult to exaggerate the importance for urban and social studies of Loïc Wacquant’s work (and indeed its relevance to political debate). As a contribution to bringing out and following up the importance of his most recent book, <roman>Urban Outcasts: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced...</roman>

Currently, many major Western cities aim to be attractive to new and economically successful high-tech industries, financial and business services, cultural industries and consumer services industries. Most of these new activities are dependent upon well-skilled creative workers, which will be...

In academic debates on neighbourhoods and social cohesion, there has been ample attention paid to processes in old urban residential districts as well as in the massive housing estates built from the 1960s until the 1980s. Newly developed suburban districts have always been in question, maybe...

The increased research and policy interest in social exclusion has included a focus on the concentration of disadvantage within cities. The role of neighbourhoods in the dynamics of social exclusion is consequently receiving greater attention. This paper reports the results of a major European...

Contemporary debates about social polarisation and divided cities emphasise common influences on social and economic change in cities. The development of a global economy and of global influences on both market systems and on public policy regimes encourages an expectation that there is a...

Ghetto formation is a recurrent item in debates on urban futures all over the world, the Netherlands not excluded. Many people express their fear for extreme separation between ethnic groups. Many Europeans tend to believe that the recent growth in the number of immigrants in the larger cities...

Social mix is one of the supposedly promising keywords in today's urban policies. Many players in the field believe that social mix enhances opportunities and the quality of life of urban dwellers. However, there are alternative views of social mix. This paper addresses questions about the...

Public housing in the Netherlands is rapidly changing. While it used to be an example of how government intervention could successfully contribute to create descent housing for all, and while public housing was seen as the instrument to get rid of inhumane housing conditions, currently the...

Over the past decade, urban restructuring of segregated neighbourhoods has transformed many urban districts, in the Netherlands and elsewhere; middle class households have entered neighbourhoods which were previously inhabited by lower class. Some argue that this influx of middle class has...