Spatial Segregation in Tehran: A Curse of an Oil-Led Economy in the Context of Globalization

Abstract

Unequal relationships, division of cities to impoverished and wealthy areas, and the increasing distance between them are a part of the effects of neoliberalism on the face of cities. Now, on the one hand, with the discovery of oil, Iran has been closely connected with global capitalism, and on the other hand, the political economy of oil itself (as a background condition) contains unbalanced social policies. Accordingly, the present study aims to investigate the spatial effects of the unbalanced politics of globalization and the oil-based economy in Tehran as the capital of Iran. A quantitative approach and descriptive–explanative analysis were used for this purpose. The results indicate that in the spatial restructuring of Tehran, the upper and lower socio-occupational classes have been significantly concentrated in the north and south of Tehran, respectively, which can be called the spatial segregation of Tehran.