Editing Schelling segregation (section)

===== Definition ===== 

Schelling segregation refers to a theory developed by economist Thomas C. Schelling in the 1960s, which explains how even a preference for a small degree of segregation can lead to the formation of highly segregated communities. Schelling's model used a simple mathematical framework to illustrate this phenomenon.

According to Schelling, individuals have a threshold, or a certain level of tolerance, for the proportion of their neighbors that belong to a different social group or community. If the actual proportion exceeds an individual's threshold, they might find it uncomfortable and choose to move to a more homogeneous neighborhood.

In Schelling's model, agents are placed on a grid, where each agent is assigned a fixed threshold. Initially, the agents are scattered randomly. In each time step, an agent may decide to move to a vacant location if the proportion of their neighbors from a different group exceeds their threshold. This process of movement continues until no agent wishes to relocate.

The surprising outcome of Schelling's model is that even slight preferences for homogeneity can lead to the emergence of highly segregated residential patterns. Schelling showed that a relatively mixed distribution of agents in the beginning can quickly evolve into segregated clusters, with each group occupying separate areas.

Schelling's work highlights how individual preferences for similarity can perpetuate and reinforce segregation, even in the absence of explicit discrimination or animosity towards different groups. This theory has been applied to understand residential segregation, racial and ethnic segregation, and other social phenomena.