ABSTRACT
The aim of measuring segregation is to examine spatial distributions of the populace according to a variety of features. With some exceptions (Waldorf, 1993; Schnell & Benjamini, 1999), the segregation phenomenon is described and measured for population groups. The most popular is the measurement of the clustering of the groups members, the exposure of members of one population group to another or dissimilarity in their spatial distributions (Peach, 1975; Massey & Denton, 1986). All the measures or segregation indices utilise aggregate data namely, numbers or fractions of groups over predetermined (usually administrative) partitions of the studied area. The resulting single number represents the state of an entire area. It is, therefore, the global measure of segregation that represents, for example, the exposure of an average member of one group to the members of another group. As such, global segregation indices reveal the central tendency of the phenomenon with respect to given spatial partitions but ignore the inherent spatial variation implied by the local conditions of individuals.
