ABSTRACT

The main question in this chapter is whether changes in income distribution in Oslo are replicated in the residential patterns in this city, specifically in declining or increasing residential segregation. Differences in income have been considerable for a long time in Norway. The authors have divides the indicators into two main groups: general indicators, which apply to the whole population; and indicators to register problems of a socio-economic nature in smaller segments of the population. The concentration of non-Western immigrants in Oslo Inner East and their changes of residence within the city underpins the pattern of social segregation found in Oslo. More comprehensive urban development is the only way to ensure a more varied population profile in the most vulnerable districts. The historical polarization between the Inner East and the Outer West seems to be entrenches for good. The policy of wage convergence appears, however, to confront market-related barriers in cities.