Population density and diversity: an update to Schelling’s model

Motivated by recent increases in population density and changes in urban development patterns, I give an update to Schelling’s landmark spatial segregation model. Inspired by the rapid construction of high-rise condominiums and apartments, I show a correlation between population density and racial diversity in San Diego neighborhoods. Using this as a basis, I give a modified high-density version of Schelling’s model which yields heterogeneous neighborhoods under the reasonable assumption that each person wants at least a few of its neighbors to share its type.