ncome and Property Values to Understand the Reproduction of Inequalities in Naples

Abstract

As part of the PRIN 'Mapping the New Spatial Inequalities' project, this paper critically analyses socio-spatial inequalities in Naples by focusing on processes of wealth accumulation and the reproduction of inequalities, taking into account both income and real estate indicators. Specifically, it presents an in-depth study based on data regarding average income by postcode (MEF, 2022), property values (OMI, 2023), and home ownership (ISTAT, 2021). The analysis, which uses differentiated representations, identified four spatial areas that confirm the role of housing as a key factor in structuring socio-spatial inequalities. In Naples, housing plays a decisive role in processes of wealth accumulation or, conversely, social and urban exclusion. Therefore, integrating economic and real estate variables is a useful interpretative tool for recognising not only the most obvious polarisation, but also urban areas at risk of exclusion and socio-territorial segregation in the absence of adequate public policies.