Spatial Analysis of Local Scale Socioeconomic Disparities: The Case of Izmir, Turkey

The spatial disparities present in modern cities pose many challenges, such as social, demographic, and economic dimensions, and create obstacles to achieving equitable opportunities and the sustainability of cities. A wide range of variables is utilized to demonstrate the socioeconomic structure of a city; however, much of this data is often limited at local levels, such as neighborhoods, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to analyze socio economic structure of urban areas through a number of indicators. At a local scale that take neighborhood units as basis, a set of key indicators; basic demographics and education levels, were utilized to assess the socioeconomic structure and disparities across the space to identify areas that may be experiencing inequalities or social disadvantage. The study area encompasses the urban core of İzmir, Turkey, which includes the urbanized residential areas of 340 neighborhoods. Multivariate statistics and spatial statistics were performed to gain a deeper insight into socioeconomic nexuses, and their spatial patterns. Empirical results reveal that there are clusters of low and high socioeconomic status neighborhoods which can help making informed decisions regarding local disparities and social disadvantage. This type of analysis can promote more equitable and sustainable development across a city by supporting formulation of targeted interventions, and can also help inform efficient resource allocation decisions. Keywords: disparities, cluster, neighborhoods, socioeconomic, limited data