ELFT HÍRADÓ

[Janos Asboth <asboth.janos AT ttk.bme.hu>]

Meghívó

BME Elméleti Fizika Szeminárium,

nov. 14. péntek 10h15,

1111 Budapest, Budafoki út 8., BME F III. magasföldszint 01.,
Elméleti Fizika Tanszék szemináriumi szoba

Bencsné Bokányi Eszter (Közgazdaság- és Regionális Tudományi Kutatóközpont
- ELTE):
Barriers or bridges? - Exploring segregation and inequality using
large-scale spatial social networks

Social segregation and inequality remain pressing challenges in today’s
societies. Many explanations have been proposed for their persistence, with
the structure and composition of social networks playing a crucial role in
either reinforcing or mitigating disadvantage. Since where we live, work,
and interact shapes our social connections, spatial context fundamentally
influences the emergence of advantageous or disadvantageous network
structures. While past research primarily relied on survey and census data,
it often examined spatial influences on social ties separately from the
study of segregation and inequality. However, the increasing availability
of large-scale digital datasets - both in the form of online social
networks and register-based social networks - now enables a more integrated
analysis of fine-grained social networks, social outcomes and their spatial
context. In the first part of my talk, I will demonstrate that urban
highways are associated with decreased social connectivity. This barrier
effect is especially strong for short distances and consistent with
historical cases of highways that were built to purposefully disrupt or
isolate Black neighborhoods. By combining spatial infrastructure with
social tie data, the method adds a dimension to demographic studies of
social segregation. Second, I'll show how longer commutes are linked to
more diverse social networks in US metropolitan areas, highlighting the
positive role highways can play in accessibility, and as such, social
mixing. Third, I demonstrate that social network communities have a larger
role in mitigating urban inequality than administrative units, and that
growing urban inequality is due to these communities drifting apart in
terms of income, whereas income convergence happens within them. Therefore,
a better connected urban social fabric contributes to more fair and
equitable cities. Such studies can inform urban  planning for an
evidence-based reduction of spatial inequality, and more generally, support
a better integration of the social fabric in urban planning.

Minden érdeklődőt szeretettel várunk.
Asbóth János,
 szemináriumi koordinátor