How can we use Big Data to uncover our cities’ shifting segregation patterns? Through the exhibition at the Porto Design Biennale, CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and MIT Senseable City Lab strive to cast a new light on the issue of social segregation, in Porto and other cities around the world. Analyzing big data that shows people’s movements within urban boundaries, it proposes an alternative interpretation to the century-old idea of ghetto. It aims to illuminate the subtle and insidious ways in which segregation works today.

To better understand its contemporary conditions, the project explore patterns of social segregation of the District of Porto before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Geolocated tweets and anonymous mobile data – with the support of Vodafone Portugal – were used to map out the social activities and socioeconomic landscape. Liminal Ghettos portrays segregation as a form of social geography that changes over time. 

By identifying the invisible fault lines that traverse the urban fabric of Porto, Liminal Ghettos aims at promoting a discussion on how to achieve better social cohesion in our cities.