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Migrant Cities is a project developed under Living Together, which aims to promote intercultural understanding in South East Europe and the UK, by exploring issues associated with migration and demographic change and its impact on society, at both the sending and the receiving end.
The British Council, working in partnership with ippr, has linked researchers and migration experts across Europe to explore cultural and social phenomena associated with European migration. They have worked together to conduct a comparative research initiative, exploring experiences of migration and the role of intercultural dialogue in Glasgow, Cardiff, Nottingham, Bucharest, Tirana, Athens, Nicosia and Istanbul. The cities represented in the Migrant Cities study reflect the full spectrum of migration contexts: Tirana and Bucharest shaped by the emigration and return of their own citizens; migrants in Nicosia affected by the city’s broader political context; Istanbul and Athens standing as regional migration crossroads; and Nottingham, Cardiff and Glasgow experiencing huge diversity as they attract migrants of all kinds from all over Europe and beyond.
For these cities, like all major cities across Europe, migration is playing a key role in shaping their current and future character. European cities are likely to become increasingly diverse in coming years, undoubtedly creating challenges, but also opportunities for people of different national, religious and ethnic backgrounds to interact and communicate. By exploring the experiences of eight very different cities with diverse migration contexts, the project seeks to facilitate dialogue between European cites about issues that are and will continue to become increasingly central to their success.
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The study centres on human stories – it explores the expectations, experiences and aspirations of migrants, their relatives, community representatives and relevant public bodies. |
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It focuses on the role of intercultural dialogue in improving the experiences of migrants, their families and the city as a whole by identifying examples of best practice and highlighting how practice could be improved. |
The reports consider questions such as:
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What are the main migration patterns in your city? |
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What are migrants’ expectations, experiences, and aspirations of life in the city? |
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How do migrants engage in intercultural dialogue? |
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Are there any good examples of intercultural dialogue in the city? |
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How can intercultural dialogue in the city be promoted? |
The findings are feeding into policy debates at the level of local authorities, opinion formers and relevant civic organisations.
The debates accompany the launch of the research reports and have been organised in all the participating cities between November 2008- February 2009.
In the policy influencing stage, the aggregated report was launched at the major Migrant Cities international Conference between 25-26 November 2008, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Local authorities, politicians (mayors, MPs, MEPs), opinion formers, researchers and academics on migration issues, NGOs dealing with migration and social inclusion issues and international organisations such as IOM, UNHCR, ICMC, ILO, and leaders from migrant communities, media.
Athens, Bucharest, Cardiff, Glasgow, Istanbul, Nicosia North, Nicosia South, Nottingham, Tirana
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