The choice of location of immigrants in France: the role of social housing and ethnic networks.

Summary This article explores the determinants of the initial location choice of immigrants who arrived in France between 1975 and 1990. We study the role of ethnic networks and social housing in location choice. By informing about the characteristics of social housing in a location, ethnic networks may make it more attractive and influence the location of immigrants from the same group. We test this hypothesis by estimating whether variations in the rate of access to public housing across ethnic groups and locations have an effect on the probability of choosing a location for a new immigrant. We find that new non-European immigrants in couples with children are attracted to urban units in which their group is overrepresented in public housing. These results suggest that social housing supply and ethnic networks interact and influence location choice.