ABSTRACT
The literature on urban governance and migration often depicts cities as ‘pro- or anti-immigrant, accommodative or restrictive, or inclusive or exclusive’. The cities themselves have similarities with each other that further justify their combined treatment. For example, the largest cities in North America and the European Union share similar forms of economic activity. For heuristic purposes, this chapter aims to divide the discussion into more pro-active cities and more reactive cities without assuming such cities constitute static ideal types. Concerning more pro-active cities, the political or policy agenda of governments and pro-migrant non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in many cities in Europe and North America is to build more ‘cosmopolitan’, ‘diverse’, ‘inclusive’, ‘resilient’, ‘socially cohesive’, or ‘welcoming’ communities while promoting economic growth at the same time As with attracting the highly skilled and international students, urban governments and NGOs use a variety of strategies for recruitment and retention, such as advertising affordable housing and/or providing housing assistance, including sometimes for re-location costs.
