The East Boston report explores a rapidly changing neighborhood that is being transformed both by integration of Latin American immigrants and by gentrification including the skyrocketing cost of rent, particularly along certain streets. The author, herself a migrant from Costa Rica, looks at how the ownership and use of spaces in East Boston are changing from old mostly Italian Americans to newly arriving Hispanics and “yuppy” high income, primarily white gentrifiers. The author illustrates how at a neighborhood level, East Boston appears integrated and diverse, but at a street level and in terms of social connections, the neighborhood remains divided.
Concord, New Hampshire, USA
The Concord report looks from the eyes of a lifelong resident on a city that has worked to make itself a local bastion of inclusiveness against anti-immigrant rhetoric at the national level. The report focuses on experiences of high school students, who in many cases have set the tone for the city when outbursts of xenophobia have occurred. Despite the intentions of many Concord residents to make the city welcoming and inclusive, however, the report identifies some obstacles to integration of refugees in Concord, especially the clustering of migrants in low income housing census tracts of the city.
Cape Town, South Africa
The Cape Town report focuses on the educational integration of first-generation immigrants ages 15-20 in four different schools of Cape Town, and their difficulties with permits, language and cultural barriers, and views of prejudice toward them. The author is himself a migrant to Cape Town from Zimbabwe who has undergone the long process of integration, and presents his own experiences and social network in the city. The report concludes with some recommendations to improve the integration of migrant children in the schools of Cape Town.
Belgrade, Serbia
The Belgrade case report explores the relationship between the European migrant crisis and political movements in Serbia. It looks at the role of Belgrade as a transit hub for waves of forced migrants, and at the effects of policies to manage migration flows (e.g. counter-smuggling, transit center shut-downs, and restrictions on humanitarian agencies) on the lived experiences of migrants, Serbians, and aid workers who live, work, and pass through the city. The report was conducted and written by two residents of Belgrade who draw from personal experience with displacement from the recent Balkans region conflict.
Sultanbeyli, Istanbul, Turkey
Turkey has experienced the biggest influx of Syrians, almost 3 million refugees, since 2011. Different than many refugee-receiving countries where refugees are placed in camps upon their arrival, in Turkey, more than 90% of all refugees live in cities. This report looks at social capital as a resource for integration. The report is written by a lifelong resident of Istanbul.