Socio-spatial disparities in Belgium: Looking for pockets of poverty and wealth using egocentric neighbourhoods

Socio-spatial disparities are a persistent reality in Belgium and increasingly a matter of public policy concern. In fact, an extensive literature has shown that the physical separation of deprived minorities can be a considerable threat to social cohesion, hindering citizen participation, access to jobs and to education. The vast majority of the existing studies have examined socio-spatial disparities based on predefined administrative units such as municipalities, neighbourhoods and statistical wards. Such units often differ in size, function and distribution across different regions and over time. This problem, known as Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP), affects any quantitative analyses of segregation. What is more, administrative units might blur spatial inequalities occurring at finer levels and conceal the real pockets of poverty and wealth. The purpose of this paper is to identify the pockets of poverty and wealth in Belgium and in Brussels at the local level. Using a nearest-neighbours approach to construct egocentric neighbourhoods, our research allows the observation of socio-spatial disparities at highly detailed level, independently of fixed administrative units.