Mapping the Residential Geographies of Ethnic Diversity in Inner Riga

Sindija Balode , University of Latvia
Maris Berzins, University of Latvia

The spatial complexity of ethnic residential geographies has increased in Europe, giving rise to multi-ethnic neighbourhoods within urban landscapes. These locations captivate scholars because of their novel phenomena and their ability to provide valuable insights into the dynamics of ethnic segregation, concentration, inter-ethnic contact, mixing, and interaction. Latvia's complex history has affected migration turnarounds and population composition, while its contemporary sociocultural milieu provides a unique setting for investigating the residential geographies of ethnic heterogeneity. Over the last 30 years, Latvia and its capital city Riga have experienced population decline due to extensive emigration and natural decline. Simultaneously, over the past decade, the geography of immigration to Latvia has undergone profound change, with notable diversification in countries of origin and increases in Indian, Uzbek, Vietnamese, and Chinese populations. Most of Latvia's ethnic minorities are concentrated in major cities, particularly in Riga, linked mainly to urbanisation and Soviet industrialisation policies. Hence, in 2021, the Latvian population in Riga was slightly smaller than the combined ethnic minority population, with Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Poles forming the largest minority groups. Scholarship on ethnic residential geographies has predominantly focused on individuals with singular ethnic identities relative to other ethnic groups. This paper employs 2011 and 2021 census data to explore the residential geographies of ethnic diversity in inner-city core neighbourhoods of Riga, assuming them as the most ethnically diverse spaces in the city. This study intends to provide an analysis of the residential geographies of ethnic diversity and concentration patterns of growing ethnic groups in the inner-city core of Riga.

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 Presented in Session P3. Migration, Economics, Policies, History