Housing and segregation of migrants : Case study - Frankfurt, Germany

As early as the 1960s, due to its industrial facilities, Frankfurt became one of the first main destinations for guest workers. Today, almost 161,000 foreigners from 130 countries live in Frankfurt, accounting for one quarter of the city’s population. Frankfurt’s housing market, particularly in the lower price ranges, is extremely competitive. As a result of the (on average) low income level of Frankfurt’s migrants, they frequently have less housing space than inhabitants without a migration background. Migrants also tend to live in neighbourhoods with comparatively bad housing environments. However, in general, ethnic segregation is relatively low owing to the efforts of the Housing Office and housing companies to actively prevent segregation over a long period of time.