GeoJournal 58: 81–90, 2002. © 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. 81 Multiethnic Rome: Toward residential segregation? Flavia Cristaldi Department of Human Geography, University “La Sapienza”, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185Rome, Italy (Tel: +390649913919; Fax: +390649913874; E-mail: flavia.cristaldi@uniroma1.it) Key words: residential segregation, immigration, Rome, urban geography, urban space Abstract This research examines the presence of foreign national residents in Rome, through an examination of their distribution and localisation in different administrative districts. Since there is a close relationship between localisation and access to services, job opportunities, linguistic integration, and education, the residential patterns of migrant communities need to be explored in order to foster the process of ethnic integration. The 1998 census is used to analyze the presence of foreign nationals both in the districts and in the different urban zones of the Capital. For this reason it is possible to apply the index of segregation to 7 foreign national groups and then produce maps which detail where these groups are concentrated. The study also discusses public policy issues in order to improve the process of integration of different ethnic groups in Rome. Introduction Rome has always hosted a large number of foreigners who have contributed to the city’s historical evolution; from the Etruscans to the peoples who founded the capital, from the Papal to the Napoleonic and Piedmontese officials and the military. Since the beginning of the 70s, however, Rome has become the home of an increasingly large foreign pop- ulation. Because of its function as the capital and given the presence of the Vatican city, Rome presently hosts the greatest number of foreigners of all the Italian cities, nearly 8% of the city’s population. In the areas where ethnic minorities reside specific zon- ing requirements have been put into place, which in some cases have promoted new forms of segregation. The concen- tration of immigrants in some areas increases their visibility in certain cases and highlights the difficulties of coexistence. Yet the migrants’ geographical residential distribution rep- resents much more than their presence or absence in the urban fabric, rather it is an expression of a much wider so- cial process. The analysis of the statistical distribution of emigrants not only aims at providing the basis for the city’s sociological map, but should also initiate a more complex study of the urban reality. Where to live depends on numerous factors, including the availability of housing, the possibility to rent a flat instead of buying it, moderate prices, the presence of a network of ethnic solidarity and the availability of jobs. Moreover, areas with a high concentration of immigrants are not only influenced by the labour market in the host society as immigrants also affect that very labour market in which they work. New forms of labour division, the creation of new ‘ethnic’ services (cultural intermediation), special- ised jobs and peculiar needs that generate ethnically-linked economic activities (ethnic niches) are but a small example of the strong interdependence that originates between im- migration and labour. For instance, many migrant women who are willing to work as domestics look for jobs as close as possible to their home. A large labour reservoir is thus formed that could, in this case, translate itself into lower hourly rates. The presence of migrant workers is therefore closely linked to the labour market in the host society. Moreover the choice of residence might hamper the process of eco- nomic assimilation, especially if ethnic enclaves are present. National groups living together in close proximity often influence the jobs to which immigrants apply. Job oppor- tunities arising within the community are preferred, as for instance when language barriers are present or when jobs are linked to the country of origin (ethnic cooking, ethnic com- merce). These advantages can quickly promote segregation, since they limit the interactions of the foreign nationals with the rest of the urban population (Borjas, 2000). Moreover, it has been shown that one of the most important disadvantages associated with prolonged residence in segregated areas is educational failure (Datcher, 1982), and this could influence the assimilation process. This paper examines the housing distribution of foreign- ers who are registered at both the police office and the city registry in the municipality of Rome (Anagrafe) at the intra- urban level, in order to identify areas of spatial segregation. The overall process will be evaluated, followed by an ana- lysis of each national group, with a further inquiry into the behaviour of 7 communities out of the largest 16 groups present in the province: China, France, Morocco, Peru, Po- land, Spain and Sri Lanka. The index of segregation by group and the location quotient are calculated, and maps of