Residential segregation in a Mexican intermediate city: socio-spatial inequality in Culiacán Rosales

Abstract

Residential segregation is a key mechanism in the reproduction of socio-spatial inequality in contemporary cities. It takes on a particular form in Latin American intermediate cities, where physical proximity between social groups does not necessarily translate into integration. This article analyzes the residential segregation patterns in Culiacán Rosales, Mexico, based on the spatial distribution of socioeconomic conditions at the census block scale. Using data from the 2020 population and housing census, a synthetic index of socioeconomic conditions was constructed via principal component analysis, and its territorial distribution was assessed using Global Moran's I index and local spatial association indicators, which identify the tendency for similar values to cluster across the territory. The results show a strongly structured spatial organization, with high- and low-socioeconomic clusters accounting for 46.66% of the analyzed blocks, while configurations of local socioeconomic mixing remain statistically marginal. This evidence indicates that inequality in Culiacán is organized by a geography of micro-territorial fragmentation, where physical proximity between contrasting settlements does not produce integration. The study contributes to the debate on urban fragmentation in Latin American intermediate cities, showing that this urban scale does not mechanically reproduce the metropolis center–periphery pattern, but rather a specific spatial logic relevant to the design of territorial equity policies.