RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION IN TWO CITIES IN PERU'S SOUTHERN MACRO-REGION

Studies on residential segregation in Peru have privileged the study of the capital city, to the detriment of cities with other scales and contexts. This article analyzes the residential segregation levels and patterns in two Peruvian cities in the southern macro-region: Arequipa and Tacna. Based on data provided by the 2007 and 2017 censuses, synthetic and spatial segregation indicators were analyzed in both cities, taking as reference the educational level of the head of household and calculating the data on the block, census area, and district scales. The results show that inherited segregation patterns are maintained, while at the same time, the growing middle-class sectors are included in the more consolidated working-class settlements. In addition, processes that reinforce segregation were identified, such as the modification of the role of central areas, urban land production for the upper-class areas, and homogeneity of disadvantages in new areas of urban expansion, which are linked, particularly in the city of Arequipa, to the occupation of risk areas. The study suggests that these processes shape a low-scale urban segregation or fragmentation pattern in both cities, which coexists with inherited patterns.