Spatial and aspatial indicators: A complementary approach to the quantitative analysis of residential segregation in Managua

The polymorphism of its concept, as well as the complexity of its multiple spatial dimensions, make the measurement of segregation a challenging subject. Which is why, over the years, methodological approaches have been developed, which have produced different indicators to quantify the phenomenon. On the one hand, there are the traditional indicators, which have been criticized for the flaws attributed to them, among which their inability to reveal the way in which the phenomenon is spatially distributed stands out. On the other hand, there are spatial indicators, created from the development of spatial statistics and the availability of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, which are believed to be conceptually and operationally superior. This has led some Latin American researchers to propose abandoning the use of traditional indicators altogether, and to exclusively use the indicators considered as spatial. However, this article shows how, from a complementary approach, spatial and aspatial indicators can be articulated to reveal the different spatial dimensions of residential segregation, and thus reduce arbitrariness in their measurement, representation, and interpretation. While, at the same time, it addresses the limited availability of individual spatial data that characterizes Latin America. The results of the study of socioeconomic residential segregation in Managua, through the Dissimilarity Index and the Global Moran's Index, show that the city exhibits small-scale segregation, and that the most segregated group in terms of concentration and grouping is the population with a college degree. It also reveals that although spatial indicators seek to capture the inherently geographical nature of residential segregation, their exclusive use fails to address the spatial multidimensionality of the phenomenon and can lead to gaps in its quantification.