Monitoring Intra-urban Inequalities with GIS-based Indicators

Spatial indicators of “inequality”, rather than simply “poverty”, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are two essential tools for today’s urban policy makers and planners. This thesis develops a detailed GIS methodology for measuring intra-urban inequalities and generating spatially targeted policies, and applies it to the city of Rosario, Argentina. “Inequality” is conceptualized in its spatial dimensions and is linked with problems of social exclusion, poverty and deprivation. Different aspects of inequality are explored as a precondition for establishing scientific and policy-valid indicators and geographically targeted policies. The latter are essential for urban policy making, because:

· there are identifiable geographical areas that experience problems disproportionately;
· problems overlap in space and they are often made worse when they coexist;
· spatially targeted policies are justified by the increased polarization between deprived and more affluent areas;
· because of the concentration of problems, these policies are more effective since a greater number of people are reached; and
· bottom-up approaches through partnership strategies can result in more effective identification of problems and delivery of solutions.

A general methodology is outlined, which is to be applied as a diagnostic and prescriptive measure for urban inequality. The description of Rosario’s urban structure shows the relevance of GIS indicators of inequality to this method. However, a contrast case is also observed: Liverpool is a city with a long and successful tradition of GIS-based spatial analysis and area-based policies, and this allows the author to anticipate issues that might arise in the actual implementation of these instruments in Rosario. Several interviews took place in both cities in order to compare the current roles assigned to indicators of inequality by each group of policy makers and practitioners.

Finally, a methodology and a set of indicators are constructed in a dynamic way (observing urban phenomena over time), including an “indicator matrix” and an additional method for incorporating geographical components into municipal budget allocation. These diagnostic instruments are applied to Rosario for the period 1991–2001 at the district and micro levels, and from the results of this application, conclusions and recommendations for future policies and further research on this topic are provided.