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Navigating spatial inequalities: The micro-politics of migrant dwelling practices during COVID-19 in Antwerp

Author

Listed:
  • Hannah Robinson

    (University of Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Jil Molenaar

    (Institute of Tropical Medicine and University of Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Lore Van Praag

    (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its multiple lockdowns disrupted city life, while restrictions on physical distancing and urban activities highlighted the importance of our living environment and its links to our well-being. As part of the COVINFORM research project, this case study uses a micro-political lens to explore the specific spatial challenges which migrants faced in two of the more socially deprived neighbourhoods in Antwerp, Antwerpen-Noord and Borgerhout. This study aims to understand the specific spatial challenges migrants encountered during the pandemic and examine how they navigated and asserted agency within the confines of their living situation during this period. We combine participant observation with 25 semi-structured interviews with migrants living in two neighbourhoods in Antwerp (Flanders, Belgium), namely Borgerhout and Antwerpen-Noord. Findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced urban spatial disparities, where people’s strategies of adaptation were suddenly disrupted. Lower-income migrants were particularly affected, living in crowded housing without access to private open space. Access to public and green spaces, as well as facilities and public transport links, became more important during the pandemic, especially for those in poorer housing conditions. Within this context of spatial inequalities, migrants deployed their agency through claiming access to the city, shifting dwelling practices, and leveraging neighbourhood and community networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Robinson & Jil Molenaar & Lore Van Praag, 2024. "Navigating spatial inequalities: The micro-politics of migrant dwelling practices during COVID-19 in Antwerp," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(9), pages 1756-1772, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:61:y:2024:i:9:p:1756-1772
    DOI: 10.1177/00420980231217389
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jenny Preece & Kim McKee & David Robinson & John Flint, 2023. "Urban rhythms in a small home: COVID-19 as a mechanism of exception," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(9), pages 1650-1667, July.
    2. Hazel Easthope & Emma Power & Dallas Rogers & Rae Dufty-Jones, 2020. "Thinking relationally about housing and home," Housing Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(9), pages 1493-1500, October.
    3. Ghekiere, Abel & Verhaeghe, Pieter-Paul, 2022. "How does ethnic discrimination on the housing market differ across neighborhoods and real estate agencies?," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    4. Tamara Premrov & Matthias Schnetzer, 2023. "Social mix and the city: Council housing and neighbourhood income inequality in Vienna," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(4), pages 752-769, March.
    5. Jonathan Rokem & Laura Vaughan, 2019. "Geographies of ethnic segregation in Stockholm: The role of mobility and co-presence in shaping the ‘diverse’ city," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(12), pages 2426-2446, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kohl, Sebastian & Steinhardt, Max Friedrich & Stella, Luca & Voss, Simon, 2024. "Crowding (at) the margins: Investigating the unequal distribution of housing space in Germany," Discussion Papers 2024/6, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.

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