Making the invisible segregation of diverse neighbourhoods visible

There are not clear understandings of the mechanisms of diverse populations in Tehran although it is considered as one of the most diverse metropolitan cities in the middle east. This unexplored context in terms of diversity makes Tehran a unique context not only for exploring its social geography but to respond to a conflict among scholars who believe that diversity acts as an anti-segregation policy and those who believe that it ends in the rise of in-group contacts and causes segregation. To these ends, spatial analysis and inferential statistics are used. Results indicate that diverse populations of Tehran have given rise to the formation of diverse neighbourhoods-where different socioeconomic groups and physical structures are located adjacently-and concentration of same groups of vulnerable individuals and physical structures-segregation -, simultaneously. Results also indicate that diverse neighbourhoods despite their nature are places where vulnerable individuals like unskilled workers are concentrated. This phenomenon which is called invisible segregation usually occurs owing to in-group contacts, the attractions of diverse neighbourhoods and re-segregation discriminatory policies. Context-Based planning for diversity could facilitate the juxtaposition of diverse individuals and their meaningful intergroup contacts all over the city what could moderate the current segregations. Graphic