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G10-3 Socio-Spatial Inequalities and Polarisation: Segregation, Migration, Gender, Discrimination and Social Exclusion

Tracks
Track 2
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
17:00 - 19:00
Auditorium 245A - North Building - Faculty of Geology and Geography

Details

Chair: Leily Hassaine-Bau The discussant for each presentation is the presenter of the next paper in the session. The first presenter is the discussant of the last paper.


Speaker

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Dra. Jéssica Tavares
Post-Doc Researcher
University of Aveiro

Why Place Matters for Electric Mobility: Socio-Spatial Inequalities and Justice in Vulnerable Urban Neighbourhoods

Author(s) - Presenters are indicated with (p)

Dra. Jéssica Tavares (p), Prof. Gonçalo Santinha (p), Daiga Paršova, Gijs van Stekelenburg, Prof Marith Dieker, Prof. Age Poom

Abstract

The transition to electric mobility is increasingly framed as a cornerstone of sustainable urban development and climate action. However, growing evidence suggests that its benefits and costs are unevenly distributed across space, raising important concerns about socio-spatial inequalities, territorial exclusion, and justice. In socioeconomically vulnerable neighbourhoods, across both urban and peri-urban contexts, where housing conditions, tenure regimes, infrastructural provision, and governance arrangements diverge from those assumed in mainstream mobility and energy policies, electric vehicles (EVs) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technologies risk reinforcing existing forms of spatial and social polarisation.

This paper examines how place-specific socio-technical and institutional conditions shape perceptions of EV and V2G technologies in three vulnerable neighbourhoods: Aradas (Aveiro), Kanaleneiland (Utrecht), and Annelinn (Tartu). Grounded in an analytical framework combining socio-technical transitions and energy justice, the study explores how distributive, procedural, and recognitional inequalities are produced and experienced at the neighbourhood scale. Empirically, it adopts a comparative qualitative design based on resident focus groups, complemented by a pre-discussion questionnaire capturing everyday mobility practices, attitudes towards electric mobility, and socio-demographic characteristics.

The findings reveal that attitudes towards EVs and V2G are strongly place-dependent and shaped less by individual preferences than by structurally embedded territorial conditions. At the local level, limited exposure to EVs and low awareness of V2G contribute to uncertainty and perceived exclusion from innovation pathways. At the institutional level, constraints related to housing typologies, collective or fragmented ownership arrangements, insufficient charging infrastructure, grid capacity limitations, and complex multi-actor decision-making processes systematically reduce perceived accessibility. These barriers intersect with affordability concerns, limited procedural transparency, and uncertainty regarding compensation and benefit-sharing mechanisms, reinforcing perceptions of unfairness and marginalisation. At the broader societal level, while climate change awareness and rising energy prices foster conditional openness towards sustainable mobility, such openness remains contingent on credible assurances of fairness, access, and inclusion.

By foregrounding electric mobility as a site where socio-spatial inequalities are reproduced and contested, this paper contributes to debates on just transitions and territorial cohesion. It argues that without place-based and justice-sensitive governance approaches, electric mobility risks becoming another vector of spatial polarisation rather than a driver of inclusive sustainability.

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Ms Seungshin Lee
Ph.D. Student
Seoul National University

Digital Ecosystem Maturity, Vulnerability, and Mental Health: A Within-Between Decomposition across European NUTS2 Regions

Author(s) - Presenters are indicated with (p)

Ms Seungshin Lee (p), Dr In Kwon Park

Abstract

Despite universal health coverage, significant disparities in mental health service utilization persist across Europe. As urban infrastructures undergo rapid digital transformation—termed "Platform Urbanism"—traditional analog access channels are increasingly replaced by digital platforms. This shift risks creating a "Digital Wall" for the aging and digitally vulnerable. This study investigates the "Double Exclusion" hypothesis, positing that digitally vulnerable individuals living in highly platformized regions face a compounded penalty: individual skill deficits (primary exclusion) exacerbated by the structural dismantling of analog services (secondary exclusion).

Utilizing microdata from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) Wave 3 (2019) linked with Eurostat NUTS 2 regional statistics, we employ multilevel logistic regression models. We operationalize digital capability using survey data collection modes (web-based vs. face-to-face) and construct a regional "Platform Urbanism Index" aggregating indicators of the collaborative economy and digital infrastructure. The study analyzes the cross-level interaction between individual digital capability and regional platform density on unmet medical needs and depression (PHQ-8). Furthermore, we examine whether social capital serves as a buffering mechanism against this technological exclusion.

We anticipate finding that the association between digital exclusion and unmet medical needs is significantly stronger in regions with high platform urbanism, confirming the paradox that "Smart Cities" may function as exclusionary spaces. However, high social support is expected to mitigate this penalty through "human intermediaries." This research challenges techno-optimist narratives, providing empirical evidence that without inclusive policies, digital urbanism may widen health inequalities.

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Dr. Leily Hassaine-Bau
Associate Professor
Espi

Financialized Real Estate and Urban Hierarchies: FIBRAs in Mexico’s Metropolitan System

Author(s) - Presenters are indicated with (p)

Dr. Leily Hassaine-Bau (p), Dr Brice Barois (p)

Abstract

This paper examines the role of FIBRAs, Mexico’s Real Estate Investment Trusts, in the financialization of the country’s real estate sector, and their spatial implications for metropolitan development. Introduced in the early 2000s, FIBRAs transform stabilized rental income from commercial property into exchange-listed assets. Their investment strategies are not neutral but highly selective, concentrating capital in major metropolitan regions and within them, in municipalities that function as economic centralities with strong infrastructure, governance, and socio-economic status.
The study argues that FIBRAs actively reinforce urban hierarchies. While peripheral municipalities are experiencing the fastest population growth, they are largely excluded from FIBRA investment due to weaker institutional capacity and planning. This creates a territorial mismatch between where people live and where capital flows, deepening socio-spatial inequality.
Methodologically, the paper combines georeferenced data from over 200 FIBRA properties, demographic analysis from INEGI (1990–2020), socio-economic stratification using the AMAI index, and qualitative interviews with fund managers and developers in Monterrey. Results show that FIBRA capital systematically favors affluent, accessible municipalities and avoids fast-growing peripheries, despite their demographic dynamism.
However, selective investment is beginning to reach non-elite but well-connected municipalities under specific conditions, such as corridor-based development or strategic infrastructure, suggesting a potential,though limited, expansion of “investable” geographies.
Theoretically, the paper positions financialization as a spatial process that shapes, and is shaped by, metropolitan restructuring. It contributes to international debates on real estate finance and urban inequality, showing that the effects are particularly acute in contexts of rapid, under-resourced urban expansion like Mexico’s peripheries.
The conclusion emphasizes the need for public policy to realign capital flows with inclusive urban development. Proposed tools include land value capture, inclusionary zoning, corridor-based planning, spatial investment incentives, and stronger transparency requirements. Listed real estate investment, while financial in form, must be treated as a territorial governance challenge with broad implications for equity and spatial justice.

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