Many post-socialist cities have experienced major demographic shifts as a consequence of a variety of factors, including population ageing and decline, migration, urban sprawl, and gentrification. The purpose of this research was to determine how the sociodemographic features of the city residents of Riga evolved in the decade between 2011 and 2021. The study employed statistical analysis of sociodemographic indicators related to population size, age and structure, education and income, household structure, ethnicity, and residential mobility at the neighborhood level. The analysis of spatial patterns and changes in the socio-spatial distribution of the city residents was supported by mapping of the data. The findings demonstrated that there was a widening gap in the sociodemographic features between inner-city residents and outer-city residents. Overall, the inner city dominated in attracting young individuals of a higher socioeconomic status. However, an increasingly divergent population composition was also observed within the inner city, with innermost neighborhoods consistently performing better and increasing risks of rising socio-spatial inequalities not only between the inner city and the outer city, but also within the inner city.

Sindija Balode
University of Latvia, Department of Human Geography

 
ID Abstract: 878