At the margins of the welfare state: living arrangements and housing conditions of immigrants in Spain

Elisa Suárez, Spanish Council for Scientific Research
Laura Lorenzo, Spanish Council for Scientific Research
Teresa Castro Martin, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Spain, a country of emigration until the early 1970s, has recently become the main receiving country in Europe. Immigration is acknowledged to have a significant impact on demographic trends, on economic dynamics and social cohesion, but it also triggers important transformations in the physical, economic and social morphology of the cities. This study aims at examining the residential characteristics of foreigners in Spain. The 2001 Census microdata allow not only to describe household and housing conditions of immigrants, but also to relate these conditions to region of origin, educational level, occupation, gender, family situation and duration of stay in Spain. We will first present an analysis at the national level and then a focused analysis of the city of Madrid, in order to illustrate the contribution of immigration to ethnic-cultural diversification and rejuvenation of urban centers as well as the risk of socio-spatial segregation and marginality.