A paradigm shift is taking place in spatial segregation research. At the heart of this shift is the understanding of the connectedness of spatial segregation in different life domains and the availability of new datasets that allow for more detailed studies on these connections. In this thematic issue on spatial underpinnings of social inequalities we will outline the foundations of the ‘vicious circles of segregation’ framework to shed new light on questions such as: What is the role of residential neighbourhoods in urban inequalities in contemporary cities? Have residential neighbourhoods lost their importance in structuring daily lives since important part of social interaction takes place elsewhere? How is residential segregation related to inequalities in other important life domains, in schools, at work and during leisure time? The vicious circles of segregation framework builds on the traditional approaches to spatial segregation, as well as on the emerging new research undertaken within the ‘activity space approach’ and ‘longitudinal approach’ to segregation. The articles in this thematic issue improve our understanding of how spatial segregation is transmitted from one life domain to another as people sort into residential neighbourhoods, schools, workplace and leisure time activity sites, and gain contextual effects by getting exposed to and interacting with other people in them.

This paper aims to develop a fuller understanding of the relationship between the ethnic composition of childhood residential neighbourhoods, schools, and residential neighbourhoods later in life in producing and reproducing segregation. We apply a longitudinal research design on linked individual-level data from Estonia. Estonia is an interesting case because of the Soviet era population distribution policies and its ubiquitous state-funded educational system where minority parents can choose in which school—Russian-language or Estonian-language—their children study. We find that minority parents mostly opt for minority-dense schools and, if they do so, their children who grew up in minority-dense neighbourhoods also end up living in minority-dense neighbourhoods as adults. An inter-generational vicious circle of segregation forms. However, minority children who live in minority-dense neighbourhoods but study in majority-dense schools are more likely to end up living in majority-dense neighbourhoods later in life. Hence, intervening in school choice has the potential to contribute to inter-generational residential desegregation.