socio-spatial-polarization-in-calgary

Socio-Spatial Polarization in Calgary

Overview

• Title: Socio-Spatial Polarization in an Age of Income Inequality: An Exploration of Neighbourhood Change in Calgary’s "Three Cities"

• Authors: Ivan Townshend, Byron Miller, Leslie Evans

• Date: March 2018

• Published by: Neighbourhood Change Research Partnership, University of Toronto

• Research Funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Executive Summary

• The report documents changes in Calgary's income characteristics and distributions since the early 1970s.

• It assesses the restructuring of Canadian cities amid rising income inequality and polarization.

• Focuses on three distinct income categories in Calgary:

  • City 1: Income-increasing neighbourhoods (inner city).

  • City 2: Income-stable neighbourhoods (middle suburbs).

  • City 3: Income-declining neighbourhoods (suburban periphery).

• Analysis reveals significant shifts:

  • Middle-income tracts dropped from 70% (1970) to 41% (2010).

  • Low- and very-low-income tracts rose from 11% to 33% during the same period.

  • Concentration of high-income tracts remains stable.

• The geography of income changed from urban core poverty to Northeast Calgary's low-income regions, with visible minority communities prevalent.

• Gentrification transformed former low-income inner-city areas into high-income ones.

Spatial Analysis

• By 2010, low-income neighborhoods concentrated in the northeast, displacing previous inner-city low-income communities.

• New high-income areas emerged both in the inner city and on the extreme suburban edges.

• Conversely, many suburban areas experienced declining income trends.

Three Cities Model Application

• The Three Cities Model classifies neighbourhoods based on income ratios from 1980 to 2010:

  • City 1: 29.6% of tracts with increasing incomes.

  • City 2: 20.9% of tracts with stable incomes.

  • City 3: 49.6% of tracts with declining incomes, heavily urban.

• Similar patterns to Toronto, indicating increasing polarization and suburban poverty.

Social Attributes Comparison

• Education:

  • City 1 has the highest educational attainment; City 3 has the most individuals without high school diplomas.

• Labour Force Characteristics:

  • City 1 has high managerial and professional employment; City 3 has high service and manufacturing jobs.

• Demographics:

  • City 1 has younger populations (ages 25-34); City 3 has a higher proportion of children and large households.

• Income Levels:

  • Average incomes in 2006: City 1 ($106,319), City 2 ($99,608), City 3 ($88,181).

• Housing Characteristics:

  • City 1 shows a mix of old and new housing; City 3 predominantly consists of single-detached homes.

Conclusions

• The report highlights increasing socio-spatial polarization in Calgary's neighbourhoods.

• City 3 faces severe income decline associated with social issues like lower education and higher family sizes.

• Patterns observed align with those in other Canadian cities, emphasizing the need for policy interventions against emerging inequalities.