Intra-urban mobility in Spain and its effects on dispersion patterns of the Spanish-born population and immigrants: The cases of Madrid and Barcelona

The territorial distribution patterns of the foreign-born population in large cities are primarily determined by intra-urban mobility, which redistributes its population among the city’s neighbourhoods, significantly influencing their social and demographic composition. Using data from Madrid and Barcelona, this study analyses the intra-urban mobility patterns of immigrant groups in cities that have experienced significant growth in the foreign-born population over the last two decades, reaching 28.0% and 32.9% of the resident population, respectively. The period considered is 2007–2021, divided into four phases according to economic cycles. Six groups of countries are identified, and flows between origin and destination neighbourhoods are analysed using specific migration rates. The main objectives are (1) to characterise the evolution of intra-urban residential changes by origin; (2) to study the impact of different economic periods on these flows; (3) to determine the impact of internal mobility on the territorial distribution patterns of different origins and (4) to compare Madrid and Barcelona. The study applies spatial econometric techniques, including Global Moran’s I, Local Indicators of Spatial Association and Spatial Focusing, to measure spatial dependence, clustering and the degree of concentration or dispersion in mobility patterns. The results confirm that intra-urban mobility follows structured spatial patterns influenced by economic and demographic factors. Economic downturns tend to facilitate intra-urban mobility, resulting in increased spatial concentration, whereas during periods of economic growth, housing market pressures constrain mobility and promote a more dispersed pattern of internal flows.