Websites created to inform users about particular neighbourhoods could lead to greater levels of segregation, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns.
The sites, already popular across the pond, are called 'Internet-based neighbourhood information systems' or 'IBNIS'. The purpose of such sites is to allow users to find somewhere they'd like to live. Criteria people might base their choices on include income, education and interests. Talking to Reuters, Professor Roger Burrows said that "until recently these segmentation processes have been largely invisible to the public, but with the emergence of IBNIS it is entirely possible that people will start using them to sort themselves out into neighbourhoods where their neighbours are less diverse and more like themselves".
If these neighbourhood profiling sites take root in the UK, could we be in for a more segregated country? There are also concerns over the accuracy of such information. How do you profile a neighbourhood and what sources are used? Should the residents have a say? Such websites could be a useful tool, but they could also be a dangerous divider.
