Residential Segregation and Inequality: Considering Barriers to Choice in Toronto

Segregation of visible minorities has persisted throughout time in Toronto. In examining these concentrations, the literature has been heavily focused on the notion that visible minorities are choosing to live in proximity of their respective ethno-racial groups and that these are spaces of aspiration rather than marginalization in Canada. This thesis raises questions about the assertion of ‘self-segregation’ by emphasizing affordability constraints on residential choices that are often rooted in discrimination and inequality in the housing and labor markets. Census data from 2016, the dissimilarity index and an adopted neighborhood classification scheme was used to understand the spatial patterning of visible minorities in the Toronto CMA and highlight differences in the socio-economic characteristics of visible minority dominant and white dominant census tracts. The findings invite the inference that economic opportunities play a critical role in the residential choices of visible minorities and raise concerns about the quality of life in visible minority neighborhoods.M.A