Migration is the process of people relocating to a new location. Migration can happen within a country or between countries. Migration can be permanent, transient, or seasonal. Migration happens for a multitude of causes. The economic, social, political, and environmental factors are all fair game. Migration is triggered by both push and pull causes. There are consequences for both the home country and the new home country of migrants. To know the five ways cities, benefit from migration do follow through the article.
Five Ways Cities Benefit from Migration
Migration patterns around the world typically direct people to major urban centres. The volume of travel reduces as the distance between the site of origin and the location of the destination rises. Even more so, migration and urbanization are frequently connected phenomena. Once immigrants reach their destination country, they frequently choose to settle in metropolitan areas, where they contribute greatly to the expansion of both the economy and the city’s population. As many as 92% of immigrants in the United States, 95% in the United Kingdom and Canada, and 99% in Australia reside in urban regions. Immigrants are more likely to integrate when they join large numbers of fellow immigrants in neighbourhoods where a familiar language is spoken and support organizations can be established.
Social Impact
Due to their higher levels of economic activity, cultural and intellectual expression, and development, cities have historically attracted the vast majority of the world’s emigrants. Taking stock of migration’s impact, prospects and challenges are vital, as well as the link it has with a city’s economy and urban development. But the present worldwide conversation on migration and its impact focuses mostly on the national level, with little attention paid to the city level.
Chain migration is typically an urban phenomenon; therefore, cities are where migrants are most likely to meet up with relatives and people of the same ethnicity or culture. The propensity to reside among one’s group is pronounced and responsible for developing enclaves inside cities. Enclaves offer advantages of community and social support, greater availability of ethnic items and food, worship centres, and other community institutions. These are the five ways cities benefit from migration. The number of ethnic enclaves is expanding in the urban centres of developed countries, resulting in middle-class migrants and entire neighbourhoods where migrants remain forever rather than being in transit. The middle-class “ethnoburb”, a term coined in 1997 by Wei Li, a professor at Arizona State University (USA), is becoming the first destination for well-to-do migrant’s vs being an aspirational destination following time spent in an inner-city enclave. Many migrants to the West first settle in such neighbourhoods, where they toil long hours in overcrowded, destitute conditions until they can save enough money to relocate to a more desirable suburb.
Political Impact
While national governments are responsible for overseeing international migration to a region, municipal leaders are the ones who would feel the effects of any unchecked movement into their cities. Most migrants, once they reach their destination country, settle in urban areas, adding to the strain on urban infrastructure.
The conventional one-way flow of migrants who obtain citizenship or permanent residency in their destination country is being replaced by transnationalism, which refers to travelling to many destinations. Workers with temporary visas and those with permanent residency both make frequent trips back home and no longer see their migration as a break in citizenship. Transnationalism facilitates international communication, and the migratory experiences of people who have lived and worked in multiple countries have the potential to make urban areas hubs for international trade and commerce. Countless people worldwide have made their way to urban centres like Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, London, New Delhi, New York City, Sydney, and Toronto.
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Health related Benefits
The migrants will get access to health infrastructure and to provide these cities have strengthened their health infrastructure. So, the cities have strengthened primary, secondary and tertiary health infrastructure. Also, mental health is taken care of and cities have included it in its health definition. So, the over all well being of individual is considered. These are the five ways cities benefit from migration.
Urban Infrastructure and Services
Urban infrastructure and service demands are impacted by migration both at the point of origin and the point of destination. Changes in demand affect numerous industries, including construction, child care, electricity production, retail, transportation, healthcare, tourism, education, law enforcement, and the workplace. The strain is made worse by inadequate urban infrastructure and services. Migrants must deal with inadequate infrastructure as a result of rapid population increase, and cities must deal with inadequate urban planning in order to accommodate the demands of all residents.
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Possibilities for Remunerative Employment and Education
Increased immigration has a direct impact on elementary school enrolment, forcing schools to either expand or increase class sizes. Cities need to prepare for a surge in migrant children by increasing their services and infrastructure. Governments have a lot of trouble keeping class sizes low and providing school seats for all kids without sufficient funding.
As part of their strategy to incorporate newcomers, some localities prioritize migrant students’ academic success. Many other affected communities have already adjusted their approaches to meet the educational requirements of migrants, or are in the process of doing so. Independent training institutions, government agencies, private schools, and universities are all examples of local stakeholders that interact with one another but may not cooperate adequately if municipal administrations are not involved.
