Immigrants’ spatial integration dynamics in Tel-Aviv: An analysis of residential mobility and sorting

Abstract

Residential mobility patterns of immigrant and majority groups are key in understanding immigrants’ spatial integration. This article explores the spatial integration dynamics of immigrants from the Former Soviet Union in Tel-Aviv, Israel, as reflected in changing residential mobility behaviour. Unlike previous research, the article investigates the simultaneous effect of the relocations of both immigrants and majority members, with treatment of ethnic and socioeconomic dimensions of residential sorting considered simultaneously. Using a unique data set that spans the period 1997–2008, the analysis reveals a dynamic interplay of both groups’ mobility patterns. Their joint effect decreased residential sorting across both neighbourhood dimensions over time. Despite the decreasing magnitude, residential sorting processes remained active by the end of the research period, delaying the spatial integration of immigrants.