CONFERENCEBeyond the traditional dichotomies in studying ethnic residential geographies in Riga
Sindija Balode 0000-0002-6968-512X
Maris Berzins 0000-0002-5773-3307
University of Latvia
Email: sindija.balode@lu.lv
DOI: 10.22364/fg.21.4
Keywords: ethnic minorities, population change, census, urban neighbourhood
Abstract
Ethnic residential geographies are spatially complex, and there has been strong academic interest in immigrant residential segregation in urban Europe. In Latvia, the nature of immigration has changed in recent years, and one of the most visible features has been the emergence of previously underrepresented ethnic groups choosing the city of Riga as their place of residence. At the same time, Riga has had a very high proportion of ethnic minorities for more than 60 years, due to the immigration, industrialisation and militarisation policies pursued under the Soviet occupation. The distinctive historical context of the capital of Latvia has resulted in the formation of a multifaceted urban landscape, wherein long-established ethnic minority communities and emergent immigrant groups coexist. Therefore, in this paper we will examine the changes in the share of the largest ethnic groups in Riga over the past decade. Additionally, we will present a somewhat unconventional analysis, going beyond the traditional divides in order to assess the geographical distribution of emergent ethnic minorities. We use customised data from the last two censuses, in 2011 and 2021, to analyse the city-wide distribution of the major ethnic groups and the changing distribution of smaller ethnic groups in urban neighbourhoods. The findings indicate a decline in the overall population of all major ethnic groups in the city, although in certain neighbourhoods – and across the city as a whole – the proportion of Latvians is on the rise. Meanwhile, more significant changes have been observed among the emergent ethnic groups. The evidence from the inner city indicates the presence of fast-growing minority groups, such as Indians.