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Housing Practices of Albanian Immigrants in Athens: An “in-between” Socio-Spatial Condition

Author

Listed:
  • Iris Polyzou

    (School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, 10682 Athens, Greece)

  • Stavros Nikiforos Spyrellis

    (Institute of Social Research, National Centre for Social Research, 10552 Athens, Greece)

Abstract

Immigrants’ access to housing is often the outcome of self-settlement practices within a context of limited social policies that often characterizes Southern European metropolises. Hence, immigrants are facing multiple constraints and remain vulnerable towards diverse socioeconomic fluctuations. This article focuses on the housing practices followed by Albanian immigrants, the largest immigrant group in Athens’s municipality, to examine how spatial inequalities are intertwined with ethnicity in the Greek capital. The objective is twofold: to discuss ethnic segregation on the micro-scale of Athenian central neighborhoods and examine how immigrants’ housing practices are being challenged within a rapidly changing socio-spatial context. The methodology follows a mixed approach, aiming at identifying differentiations and inequalities both on the macro- and micro-spatial scale. First, differentiations among Greeks, Albanians, and other third-country nationals in Athens (2011) are traced and compared, based on quantitative data. Second, for the purpose of highlighting micro-geographies in the city, this article presents an analysis of collected narratives of Albanian immigrants, through semi-structured interviews held in 2023. The main results indicate that the population under study finds itself in an “in-between” socio-spatial condition: an “in-between”, compared to the housing experiences of Greek households and other third-country nationals, that produces (and reproduces) segregation trends visible on the micro-scale. Moreover, this article attempts to highlight how the lack of housing policies put in peril the successful self-settlement practices of Albanian immigrants, in the current context of financialization of the Athenian housing market.

Suggested Citation

  • Iris Polyzou & Stavros Nikiforos Spyrellis, 2024. "Housing Practices of Albanian Immigrants in Athens: An “in-between” Socio-Spatial Condition," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-24, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:7:p:964-:d:1426731
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dimitris Balampanidis & Thomas Maloutas & Evangelia Papatzani & Dimitris Pettas, 2021. "Informal urban regeneration as a way out of the crisis? Airbnb in Athens and its effects on space and society," Urban Research & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 223-242, May.
    2. Dimitris Balampanidis & Iris Polyzos, 2016. "Migrants’ settlement in two central neighborhoods of Athens," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 75-90, February.
    3. James Korovilas, 1999. "The Albanian Economy in Transition: The Role of Remittances and Pyramid Investment Schemes," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 399-415.
    4. Thomas Maloutas & Nikos Karadimitriou, 2001. "Vertical Social Differentiation in Athens: Alternative or Complement to Community Segregation?," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 699-716, December.
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