Incomes of residents in west European capitals and the immigrants’ settlement pattern

The article studies the relationship between the immigrants’ settlement and the incomes in large European capitals using the examples of London, Madrid and Berlin. Cities were selected based on the importance of the immigration processes, the availability of regional statistical materials and their role in the countries. These cities have attracted large numbers of immigrants, especially in the last 30 years (and earlier in the case of London due to the influx of people from former colonies). The example of housing costs and income distribution shows the socio-ethnic stratification. As a result of the study, cities’ districts were classified based on the immigrants’ percentage, income levels and housing prices, which demonstrated a high degree of territorial mosaic and heterogeneity. For four European capitals, it was shown that a hypothesis of close relationship between the income and migrants microgeography is not always confirmed. The most complicated picture is in London. In Berlin and Madrid, migrant localization sectors are visible, but (not to mention Moscow) it is more difficult to identify their connection with income stratification. A most notable characteristic of the cities studied is the growing immigrants’ numbers and their share in total population, which can reach up to 15–25 %. This fact in itself becomes a significant element of social differentiation. At the same time, immigration in each city has its own characteristics and diversity. Differences between immigrant groups largely determine a degree to which they are isolated or integrated into the city’s social space. London attracts everyone, both rich and poor. Traces of the city’s former partition are still visible in Berlin. In Madrid, there is a concentration of Latin Americans who are culturally similar. And in Moscow, the influx of immigrants often provokes an increase in the cultural distance between them and the locals. A large number and proportion of immigrants, their poor integration into the host society, and inter-ethnic conflicts result in lower tolerance and increasing social and ethnic contrasts.