{
  "abstract": "The footprints of residential segregation have long been documented, yet the role of urban form as both medium and manifestation of segregation remains under-specified. We investigate whether the configuration of the built fabric may encode residential segregation in its spatial structure, hypothesising that built-form entropy (BFE) regimes are associated with the spatial distribution of income groups and their local clustering in non-linear ways. We examine this by quantifying BFE through a Shannon-based measure computed from building footprints, characterising income-based distributions using the Gini index and Moran’s I, and placing both on a common spatial footing through a regular tessellation. Applying this framework to São Paulo, Latin America’s largest city, we find non-linear relationships between BFE, income, and segregation: income levels and residential clustering increase toward both extremes of the entropy spectrum, with a stronger rise at the high-entropy end. This asymmetry suggests that high-entropy urban forms are associated with distinct spatial processes of segregation, including elite enclaving and incremental development in lower-income settlements, while low-entropy forms reflect more selective occupation shaped by planning and market filtering. Overall, the findings suggest that built form is more than a neutral backdrop, functioning as both affordance and signal of segregation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Research Centre for Territory, Transport and Environment (CITTA), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.",
    "Graduate Programme in Architecture and Urbanism (PPGAU), Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil.",
    "Space Planning, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.",
    "Institute of Physics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil."
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vinicius M Netto"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Caio Cacholas"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Camila Carvalho"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Edgardo Brigatti",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2981-3270"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3zek2kx00bmxr.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360856",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13693912",
  "id": "3zek2kx00bmxr",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360856",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3322|Latin American Urban Studies"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Geoinformatics/Spatial autocorrelation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Information theory/Information entropy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Geographic areas/Urban areas"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Geoinformatics/Spatial autocorrelation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Human geography/Urban geography/Urban areas"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Human geography/Urban geography/Urbanization"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Terrestrial environments/Urban environments"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Engineering and technology/Structural engineering/Built structures"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Thermodynamics/Entropy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Research design/Survey research/Census"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Human geography/Urban geography/Urban areas"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Human geography/Urban geography/Urbanization"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7155062811",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13693912?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13693912",
  "pmid": "42912810",
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3zek2kx00bmxr.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360856",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360856"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:03Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42912810",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912810"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "plos:thermodynamics",
      "subfield": "statistical-nonlinear"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Is segregation encoded in urban form? An entropy-based analysis",
  "title_text": "Is segregation encoded in urban form? An entropy-based analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:03Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3zek2kx00bmxr",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}