Murdie and Teixeira 2000 The City as Social Space

Chapter 9: The City as Social Space

Authors: Robert A. Murdie and Carlos Teixeira
Source: T. Bunting and P. Filion (eds) (2000), Canadian Cities in Transition, Oxford University Press.

Examines the city as a social space with a focus on the social mosaic of Canadian cities.
Analyzes changing residential differentiation patterns and processes creating these patterns.
Empirical examples primarily drawn from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Highlights the importance of smaller urban areas, albeit with a focus on large metropolitan centres due to research prevalence.

The social mosaic reflects the wider society's traits and transitions.
Significant trends include:
- Economic restructuring
- Changes in age and family structure
- Immigration impacts
Globalization processes affect national trends with limited local government control.

Investigates social differentiation within cities and its evolution over time.
Understanding of the urban mosaic based on:
- Spatial distribution of social groups using census data.
- Decisions made by households influenced by income, built form, and housing information.
- Emphasizes intra- and inter-group variations in residency behavior and constraints.

Reflects shifts from modern to post-modern societies.
Highlights:
- Increased societal fragmentation
- Emergence of a complex urban social mosaic
Questions the effectiveness of early 20th-century spatial models to interpret current urban complexities.

Explores implications of increased internationalization of Canada's immigrant population.

Economic Restructuring
- Decline in manufacturing jobs and rise in service sector employment.
- Impact of trade agreements (e.g., NAFTA) and economic recessions.
- Shift in economic opportunities and potential inequalities.
Changes in Age Structure and Household Formation
- Decrease in children and youth population; increase in elderly (64+ years).
- Variances in age-specific migration (e.g., elderly to Victoria, youth to Calgary).
- Fragmentation of living arrangements and diversification of family structures.
Increased Internationalization of Population
- Shift from Euro-centric immigration to a more diverse origin (Asia, Africa, Caribbean, Latin America).
- Changes have resulted in varied immigrant settlement patterns and socio-spatial dynamics.
Retrenchment of the Welfare State
- Declining support impacts vulnerable groups (unemployed, single-parent families, refugees).
- Resulting challenges in economic mobility and social integration.

Early models posited a three-tier structure based on economic, family, and ethnic status.
More recent studies suggest increased complexity beyond this model, with multiple dimensions arising from various socio-economic factors.

Examination reveals:
- Distribution of high-status and low-status census tracts varies significantly by city and social dimension.
- Factors such as demographic trends and historical context influence spatial patterns.

Examines rising income disparities in urban centers and implications for a potential underclass, similar to U.S. contexts.
Increase in socio-economic segregation within metropolitan areas.

Diverse immigrant experiences shape spatial segregation in urban areas.
Highlights:
- Increase in ethnic diversity leading to the formation of distinct neighborhoods.
- Variability in immigrant settlement patterns based on socio-economic conditions.
- Recent shifts towards suburbanization of immigrant populations.

The socio-spatial structure of Canadian metropolitan areas will continue evolving influenced by economic, demographic, and immigration trends.
It is crucial for policymakers to address socio-economic disparities and improve life chances for vulnerable communities within these urban landscapes.