History Main / UrbanSegregation

* ''VideoGame/GravityRush2'' gives us Jirga Para Lhao, which hosts four levels: Lei Elgona (the slums), Lei Colmosna (the middle-class marketplace), Lei Havina (the upper-class area), and Avarash au Govena, where the military and government reside.

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* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} VI'' Invokes this trope with the new districts concept for city building and development. Where previous games in the series had all buildings essentially piled into the city center, the districts concept force buildings to be built in the appropriate district which are placed outside of the city center -- for example, libraries and universities have to be built in a science district, which in turn gets bonuses to research for adjacent tiles with mountains, jungle, or coral reefs.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the mainland" and "the island". The poor population resides on the mainland, where they live in huge and undeveloped slums. The wealthy population resides on the island, where they enjoy privileged Westernized lifestyles and live in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many wealthy households have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the mainland" and "the island". The poor population resides on the mainland, where they live in huge and undeveloped slums. The wealthy population resides on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and live in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many wealthy households have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". The wealthy population resides on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and live in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many wealthy households have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. The poor population resides on the mainland, where they live in huge and undeveloped slums.

!!Latin America
* When Guadalajara, Mexico was founded, the rich Spaniards built their estates in the west bank of the San Juan de Dios river, while they built their servants' barracks on the east bank that was more exposed to attacks from the eastern local tribes. The city has since grown with CrystalSpiresAndTogas on one side and gritty inner city slums on the other, and the separation remained after the river was piped and paved over with the Independencia Drive; to this day, when a middle class person says "the other side of the Drive"[[note]]in local Spanish, ''"de la Calzada pa'llá"''[[/note]], what they mean is "the ghetto".
* Brazil is one of the countries with the greatest number of gated communities, that serves as a safe refuge for the upper/middle-class to the country’s growing violence. These communities are often patrolled 24-hours by their own private police.
* Rio de Janeiro's famous skyline has favelas, which are quite poor and often full of drug-related crime, contrasting sharply to luxury suburbs. This made the 2016 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames very interesting, with several athletes and tourists being targeted by muggers in broad daylight. For the lowdown on the favelas, read the unexpurgated diaries of resident Carolina Maria de Jesus.
* Most of the cities in Brazil are strictly segregated, but one great example could be the megalopolis of São Paulo: while most of the upper-class neighborhoods are located in the central area of the city (even though downtown itself is pretty run-down), the poorer places tend to be far away from the center. Also, a study revealed that while the HDI of a rich neighborhood is similar to Switzerland , in the poorest places it can be just as bad as the one of an African country. In Rio, the “vertical segregation” is inverted. While the poor live in the mountains where the slums (“favelas”) are located, the wealthy reside below them and near the sea. (Most of the cities in the coastline tend to be like this: the nearest to the sea, the richer). Brasília, the country’s capital, was planned to be an “utopian city”, with its center being ultra structured and safe. But, since not everybody (obviously) could reside in that privileged area, other cities (known as “satellites cities”) were built around the central area, containing great levels of poverty and criminality.

!!Europe
* The concept of the ghetto (from the Italian word "borghetto", meaning "little town") is the TropeMaker. Ghettoes were the Jewish quarters of the town, which usually were gated and segregated communities. They had certain degree of autonomy, and the gates were closed at sundown (the Jewish beginning of day).
* In Renaissance Italy, a great family would often house their clients and retainers around a given neighborhood in the city. Often each family would have a fortified palace to retire into in the event of vendetta.
* This is how most medieval European towns (especially those founded according to German law) were organized. City center housed the Town Hall, townhouses of rich burghers, and the town square that was equivalent with the CityOfAdventure "Merchant District". Artisans lived nearby, and then poorer inhabitants lived on the periphery, usually close to the city walls. Clergy lived in a separate part of the city, usually close to the church or cathedral. Additionally, in cities with several lines of walls, richer people lived closer to the innermost center of the city as the peripheral "rings" were more likely to be overrun and demolished in the case of war.
** This is still the case for many European cities, especially ones where tourism has driven real estate prices in the city center sky high. Paris is very well-known for having a very high class center while the suburbs have high crime rates and riots every few years.
** Brussels is an interesting case, where there is segregation between the local Belgians and the so-called Eurocrats, (EU government officials also being expatriates from other EU member states). Most of the Eurocrats reside in the so-called European Quarter, which some people even call an "administrative ghetto" or "white-collar ghetto" of the EU. (See [[http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/280111-invasion-eurocrats here]] for more details.)
* The north sides of Cork and Dublin are poor, their south sides posh.
* Enlightenment-era Edinburgh was a rare Real Life example of vertical segregation, although unlike the usual trope the rich lived in the middle storeys of the tenements, with the poor dwelling in attics and basements (in these pre-elevator days, living on the 15th floor -- and some tenements did get that tall -- was more trouble than it was worth). After the New Town was built the segregation shifted, with most of the rich people moving there and leaving the Old Town to fall into ruin until the invention of Historical Interest and tourism.
* In UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} during the days of the Ottoman Empire, much of the city was like this. Part of the reason was the ''Millet'' system in which different ethnic and religious groups had neighborhoods set aside for them with leaders that answered to TheGovernment. In some ways, this was pre-Ottoman. During the conquest in 1453, some neighborhoods were able to avoid RapePillageAndBurn by forting up and then making a separate peace; just forcing the invaders to stop and take a breath before continuing the sack was sometimes enough to save a neighborhood.
* The UsefulNotes/{{London}} of the Victorian Era was divided between the wealthy West End and the overcrowded, filthy, impoverished East End, which infamously played host to the UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper murders.
* In Manchester, everybody gets on the 192 bus in the city centre. The majority of black Afro-Caribbean people will have left the bus by Ardwick/Longsight. The majority of Asian people will get off in Levenshulme. The people on the bus who stay on into Stockport are going to be 95% white.
* Anything north and west of UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} (which mostly is flat plains) is filled wit with working-class apartment blocks, main roads and industrial parks, while the south and east (much more hilly and extending to the alps) feature all the more affluent suburbs, hamlets and commercial settlements.
* Tallinn, Estonia, whose Old Town was initially divided not by wealth, but language. The German-speaking people lived at the Upper Town (Toompea Hill where the Toompea Castle is located) while the Estonian-spieaking burghers lived at the Lower Town around Tallinn Harbour. The city wall surrounded (and surrounds still) the town.

!!Africa
* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". The wealthy population resides on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and live in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many wealthy households have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. The poor population resides on the mainland, where they live in huge and undeveloped slums.
* The "zoning" of South African towns and cities in UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra was a classic example of this. White, black and "coloured" people were allocated their own civic zones and this was institutionally enforced under the laws of petty apartheid. Although legally enforced zoning is now a thing of the past, the entrenched effects of this policy can still be seen and felt across the country.
!!Asia
* After the early Muslim conquests, it was common for captured cities to be divided according to tribes. Thus, a given neighborhood belonged to a given kin-group. This system continued for hundreds of years, and as late as the Ottoman era it was common for tribes not only to be responsible for the peace of a given era but for their militia to have a section of wall assigned to them to defend.
* Although slums have disappeared in most of UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}}, "daldongne"'s or shanty towns still exist in some areas, waiting to be redeveloped. One dramatic example is the Guryong village in Gangnam, the affluent district Music/{{PSY}} so famously sang about. A picture showing the contrast between the slum and the residential skyscrapers in the background has became a staple for those who want to pinpoint the income disparity in UsefulNotes/{{South Korea}}. The area is now being demolished, making way for a redevelopment project.
* In a similar vein, the daldongnes or shanty towns still exist in UsefulNotes/{{Busan}}, and this trope is more visually noticeable here as the shanty towns originally built by the refugees during UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar mostly occupy steep mountainsides in contrast to the luxurious residential skyscrapers built alongside the famous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haeundae_Beach Haeundae Beach]]. This disparity almost evokes the situation in Rio De Janeiro, but the daldongnes are nowhere near as bad as the favelas and in some cases [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamcheon_Culture_Village transformed themselves into trendy tourist destinations using quirky charms from a bygone era]].
* Tel-Aviv, Israel used to (and in many ways still does) fit this trope. There are rich neighbourhoods (some of the richest in the country) and expensive residential towers in the north, industry and slums in the south (now housing a very large illegal immigrant/refugee community), and a cosmopolitan commercial center.
* UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}} can be broadly divided into Yamanote ("towards the mountain") and Shitamachi ("low city") -- the former occupy the mountainous areas generally to the west of the Imperial Palace, the latter the low-lying areas surrounding the Sumida and Arakawa Rivers east of the Imperial Palace. Yamanote was where samurai and other nobles resided during the Edo period; today, its dialect is considered standard Japanese and is the home of modern Japan (it's where the huge corporate conglomerates and its [[{{Salaryman}} white-collar office workers]] are, as well as towering skyscrapers and the latest in contemporary culture). Shitamachi was where the lower class of artisans and merchants lived during the Edo period; today its dialect is considered rough and low-class (though it also carries a straightforward, honest connotation), and the shops there are by and large small businesses run by entrepreneurs. Shitamachi also carries an image of being traditional (as in the Edo era), a recent emergence compared to Yamanote's present and future-looking orientation.

!!Oceania
* The City of Manukau, a city council south-east of Auckland, is more or less divided in wealth by the suburb of East Tamaki. North of it is quite wealthy and peaceful, with places such as Howick, Meadowlands and Botany (commonly stereotyped with being filled with Asians). South of East Tamaki, however, are infamous ganglands ruled by criminal organisations such as the Killer Beez and Tribesmen. Conditions are slowly improving, but despite this, there is still a stark contrast between the two halves of Auckland's Manukau.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". The wealthy population resides on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and live in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many of them have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria Island, Banana Island, Ikoyi. The poor population resides on the mainland, where they live in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents reside on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and live in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many of them have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria Island, Banana Island, Ikoyi. The poor residents reside on the mainland, and they live in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents reside on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and live in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many of them have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria island, Banana island, Ikoyi. The poor residents reside on the mainland, and they live in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined middle-class. The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents live on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and reside in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many of them have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria island, Banana island, Ikoyi . The poor residents live on the mainland, and they reside in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined "middle-class". The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents live on the island, where they have privileged Westernized lifestyles and reside in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many of them have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria island, Banana island, Ikoyi . The poor residents live on the mainland, and they reside in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, so much that the city doesn't have a clearly defined "middle-class". The city is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents live on the island, where they live privileged Westernized lifestyles and reside in either mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many of them have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria island, Banana island, Ikoyi . The poor residents live on the mainland, and they reside in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, and it is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents live on the island, where they live privileged Westernized lifestyles and reside in mansions or gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Many of them have personal maids, drivers, and chefs who come from poor rural villages. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria island, Banana island, Ikoyi . The poor residents live on the mainland, and they reside in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, and it is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents live on the island, where they live privileged Westernized lifestyles and reside in mansions and gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria island, Banana island, Ikoyi . The poor residents live on the mainland, and they reside in huge and undeveloped slums.

* Lagos, Nigeria (the largest city in Africa) has extreme wealth inequality, and it is divided into two sections known as "the island" and "the mainland". Wealthy residents live on the island, where they live privileged lifestyles and reside in mansions and gated communities that are protected by high-quality security. Locations on the island include Lekki, Victoria island, Banana island, Ikoyi . The poor residents live on the mainland, and they reside in huge and undeveloped slums.

* In Kansas City, Troost Avenue separates the more comfortably middle-class neighborhoods to the west from the neighborhoods to the east that are largely very poor and dangerous.

** The Middle District is basically filled with well off people who aren’t wealthy enough to compete with the gentrification of the upper district, basically middle class. Only the top two districts have a judicial system. Civil servants like Hikaru live here.

* While there are comparatively decent neighborhoods in Gotham City proper, the city's elite, including the [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Waynes]], mostly live in manors and mansions across the river in the Bristol Township.
* In ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'', Iest's Upper City is on a very high and sheer mesa, though this is not made explicit for some years.

* The New York of ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'' features vertical segregation. The city's affluent classes live and work "Uptown" in luxurious skyscrapers built on top of the existing real estate. At the time of the comics, "Downtown" is a dimly-lit slum only for the poor and needy and desperate; Uptown citizens venturing Downtown are warned to proceed at their own risk.
* In ''ComicBook/SinCity'', the rich live in Sacred Oaks, the poor in The Projects. Somewhere in between is Old Town, the city's quasi-autonomous RedLightDistrict.

* ''FanFic/SpiritofRedemption'': The fact that this ''isn't'' the case is something of a shock for the batarians that were captured after invading Mindoir -- they can't wrap their heads around the idea that the houses in and around the base are not separated by caste.
* ''FanFic/SunshineAndFire'': The [[DomedHometown domed city]] of Trottingham is divided between the top layer, built on the limestone pillars holding up the city's dome and home to the unicorns and pegasi, and the crowded, dirty shantytown on the ground below where the earth ponies live.