Core claim
Massey (1985) argued immigrants first cluster in cheap co-ethnic areas, then move to better neighbourhoods as status rises. Massey and Denton (1985) found segregation falls with income and education.
Place stratification
The place stratification model stresses discrimination and hierarchy. Alba and Logan (1993) and Logan and Alba (1993) found Asians and Hispanics fit spatial assimilation, but Black segregation persists at high incomes, linked to the Schelling model and neighbourhood effects.
Recent debates
Alba and colleagues (1999) found immigrants increasingly settle directly in suburbs. South and colleagues (2005) compared moves out of poor areas, and Charles (2003) reviewed segregation. It is read alongside segmented assimilation.
FAQ
- What is spatial assimilation in simple terms?
- As immigrants earn more and adapt, they move into mainstream neighbourhoods.
- Does it apply to all groups?
- No; some groups, such as Black Americans, remain segregated at high incomes, which place stratification explains.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Massey, D. S. (1985). Ethnic residential segregation: A theoretical synthesis and empirical review. Sociology and Social Research, 69(3), 315–350. The theoretical synthesis.
- Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (1985). Spatial assimilation as a socioeconomic outcome. American Sociological Review, 50(1), 94–106. Socioeconomic status and residence.
- Alba, R. D., & Logan, J. R. (1993). Minority proximity to whites in suburbs: An individual-level analysis of segregation. American Journal of Sociology, 98(6), 1388–1427. Individual-level test.
- Logan, J. R., & Alba, R. D. (1993). Locational returns to human capital: Minority access to suburban community resources. Demography, 30(2), 243–268. Locational returns to human capital.
- Alba, R. D., Logan, J. R., Stults, B. J., Marzan, G., & Zhang, W. (1999). Immigrant groups in the suburbs: A reexamination of suburbanization and spatial assimilation. American Sociological Review, 64(3), 446–460. Immigrants in the suburbs.
- Charles, C. Z. (2003). The dynamics of racial residential segregation. Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 167–207. Review of residential segregation.
- South, S. J., Crowder, K., & Chavez, E. (2005). Exiting and entering high-poverty neighborhoods: Latinos, Blacks and Anglos compared. Social Forces, 84(2), 873–900. Moves out of poor neighbourhoods.