Coresidency of Immigrant Groups in a Diverse Inner-City Neighborhood of Whitechapel, London

Abstract

A single family occupying one residential unit is the typical residential arrangement in cities of the Global North. However, specific communities tend to practice coresidency, wherein several families share the same residential unit. In this study, we evaluate immigrant groups’ coresidency tendencies in London’s East End Whitechapel neighborhood, through a door-to-door survey and interviews. We differentiate between horizontal and vertical family structures and find that a sizable percentage (44.4%) of the residential units were shared by two or more families. At the neighborhood level, we show that the segregated residential pattern of groups was correlated with the pattern of coresidency, indicating that the uneven spatial concentration of ethnic groups led to high densities of families in specific parts of Whitechapel. The interviews reveal that coresidency is not merely a result of economic constraints but also a residential preference reflecting the need for cohabitation with extended family members.

Keywords:

• coresidency
• immigrant groups
• cohabitation
• residential behavior
• private housing
• social housing
• segregation

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council [R24 AH/N00146X/1].

Notes on contributors

Shlomit Flint-Ashery

Dr Shlomit Flint-Ashery is a lecturer of Urban Planning, Head of Geodesign Strategy lab and Head of MA program in Preservation, Planning and Development of Cultural Landscape and Cultural Heritage at Bar Ilan University (BIU), Department of Geography and Environment. Her current research interests are related to planning policy and practice and geodesign.

Erez Hatna

Dr Erez Hatna is a clinical associate professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health of New York University and the Associate Director of the agent-based modeling laboratory. His research includes the modeling of residential dynamics, ethnic segregation, the formation of urban scaling laws, and the spread of infectious diseases.