Online Conference: Migration and the city

Migration is at the heart of urban growth, both as a lever of development and as a set of challenges for cities. By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities, external link, with migration driving significant change. In the decades ahead, we will see the continued rise of the megacity and, at the same time, population decline in many regional settings. Increasingly, cities will welcome migration’s contribution to diversity and cultural vibrancy, while they will also struggle to provide services for rising migrant populations or for refugees in need of sanctuary.

This conference reflects on cities as hubs of creativity but also as places of tension where different types of minorities and migrants meet and mingle. We look at top-down urban policies that aim to build on diversity or provide shelter, and to grassroots mobilizations advocating for solidarity and inclusion; we consider how cities negotiate the different levels of governance (local, national and transnational) in managing transit migrant or refugee populations; and we examine the role of diasporas in urbanization. While our focus is transnational, we will also address issues that are unique to Canada. We seek to bring together insights from different world regions to better understand the relationship between migration and the city in the 21^st century.

The online event takes place from Tues., Feb. 15 - Thurs., Feb. 17, 2022. (Eastern Standard Time)

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