Public housing and school segregation: evidence from a Southern European city

This study examines school segregation in Bologna, a Southern European city characterised by low city-scale residential segregation. Using 2021–2022 individual-level administrative data and geospatial analysis, it investigates how public housing distribution shapes primary school composition. While city-wide segregation remains low, uneven public housing distribution – coupled with a growing presence of foreign minors among tenants – generates pronounced intra-urban inequalities. Higher public housing concentrations within catchment areas are associated with significantly increased student exposure to segregated schools. These findings indicate that residential patterns remain a key factor in structuring school segregation, even in cities characterised by low overall residential segregation.