What's So Special About the Deathstalker Scorpion_.pdf
Divercities melting pots as cradles of innovation
2. Contributors
Andrea WAGNER: Economist at BAK Basel, where she is res-ponsible
for international studies, with a special focus on regio-nal-
economic and socio-democratic issues.
Manjula LUTHRIA: Economist at the World Bank, where she
leads the International Labour Mobility program at the Center
for Mediterranean Integration. She has a PhD in economics from
Georgetown University, USA.
Casey WESTON: Migration Specialist in the International Labor
Mobility Program at the Center for Mediterranean Integration
(CMI) in Marseille, France.
Daniel E. BELL: Professor of political theory at Tsinghua Univer-sity
(Beijing), he is the co-editor of The East Asian Challenge for
Democracy.
Avner DE SHALIT: Chair for Democracy and Human Rights at
Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He is a co-author of The Spirit of Ci-ties:
Why the Identity of a City Matters in a Global Age.
Andrew SHENG: Distinguished Fellow of the Fung Global Insti-tute
and a member of the UNEP Advisory Council on Sustainable
Finance.
Xiao GENG: Director of Research at the Fung Global Institute.
Irena GUIDIKOVA: Head of Division of Cultural Policy, Diversity
and Dialogue and Manager of the Intercultural cities programme
at the Council of Europe.
Meghan BENTON: Policy Analyst in the International Program
at MPI (Migration Policy Institute), where she works for the Tran-satlantic
Council on Migration and on European migration.
Anna Lisa BONI: Secretary General of EUROCITIES since June
2014, she has 20 years of professional experience in EU public
DDLUVLQWKHȴHOGRIORFDODQGUHJLRQDOJRYHUQPHQW
Toralv MOE: Senior Advisor on Business Development and Di-versity
with the City of Oslo.
Gabriele PITACCO: Architect, Ph.D. candidate at School of In-tegrated
Sciences for the Territorial Sustainability. From 2007 to
2009, he worked for OMA/Rem Koolhaas.
Jan SCHMITZ: Coordinator of the Transatlantic Trade and Invest-ment
Partnership (TTIP), DG Trade, European Commission.
Martina LODRANT: EU Negotiator for the TTIP SME chapter, DG
Trade, European Commission.
In Varietate Concordia
Editor in Chief : Giovanni Collot
Editorial Board: Laura Baeyens; Jérémy Jenard;
Alexandra Lacroix; Claudia Samaras; Mareike Trull;
Ahmet Ulusoy
Design: Recep Onay, Giovanni Collot
New European Business Confederation
The New European is a quarterly publication by
UNITEE, the New European Business Confederation
Meeûssquare 23 – 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: 0032 2 204 05 33
Fax: 0032 2 218 67 24
www.unitee.eu
Responsible Editor: Dr. Adem Kumcu
De Meeûssquare 23 – 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Follow us on blog.unitee.eu and on Twitter, @unitee_europe
Contact the Editor-in-Chief at gcollot@unitee.eu
Printed by Printland,
Leuvensteenweg 49/a
1932 Sint-Stevens-Woluwe
02 725 25 18 | www.printland.be
3. Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 3
Of all facts regarding our time, one is especially rele-vant:
we are living in an urban age. Already half of the
world population lives in cities, and this percentage,
according to many observers, will rapidly increase: ur-ban
population is even expected to double by 2050.
Such a fact is what prompted the United Nations to
declare the 31st of October as “World Cities Day”: the
future wellbeing of humanity depends a lot on how
our cities are managed. Local policies are the building
blocks of global decisions, and have to be regarded
as such.
The growth of cities brings about many challenges
and problems, ranging from sustainability to inequa-lity,
as it is strikingly evident in the developing world.
But it also shows one, big truth: people move to cities
EHFDXVHWKHUHWKHFDQȴQGRSSRUWXQLWLHVWKHZRQȇW
LQ WKH FRXQWUVLGH $QG WKLV PRYHPHQW KROGV WHUULȴF
RSSRUWXQLWLHVIRUKXPDQLWȇVGHYHORSPHQW
ΖQXUEDQDUHDVGLHUHQWLQGLYLGXDOVFRPLQJIURPYHU
GLHUHQWEDFNJURXQGVPHHWDQGH[FKDQJHLGHDVH[-
periences and cultural elements, in a continuous whirl
of development. Judging from an historical perspec-tive,
cities like Rome, Venice, London, New York and
Constantinople, which all were the centre of the world
in their respective ages, share a fundamental aspect:
their wealth came from their openness and diversity.
7KLV LV HYHQ WUXHU LQ WRGDȇV NQRZOHGJHEDVHG HFR-
nomy: where innovation is fundamental to succeed,
cities have a real strategic advantage, since they
connect people and foster ideas, thus pushing eco-nomies
forward. The more a city is able to appeal to
the best talents from abroad, the more competitive it
gets. The more a city is able to create the best environ-ment
for diversity to bloom and grow, the more it will
open the way for the future.
ΖQVXFKDQHQYLURQPHQW(XURSHȇVFKDQFHVORRNPL[HG
The old continent has undoubtedly its fair share of
strengths, given its old and fruitful urban tradition.
But for these strengths to bear fruit, tradition has to
DELGHEWRGDȇVQHZUXOHV$VDPDWWHURIIDFW(XURSH
is an increasingly multicultural, diverse continent. The
temptation for many, politicians and citizens alike, is
to discard this diversity as a risk and a danger, and
close itself into a comfortable uniformity. But doing so
would deprive Europe of the rich waves of innovation
and rejuvenation it so desperately needs.
European cities, then, have a fundamental role in brin-
JLQJ DERXW (XURSHȇV 5HQDLVVDQFH LI LW LV QRUPDOO DW
the local level that the risks of multiculturalism and
diversity are felt, it is also there that their value added
LVPRUHHDVLOSHUFHLYHG7KHWDVNIRUWRGDȇVFLWLHVLV
to minimise the former and maximise the latter, while
creating a sustainable, vibrant society and a liveable
environment for all.
The current issue of this magazine, aptly named Di-vercities,
aims at identifying how European cities are
meeting the interlinked challenges of diversity and
competitiveness. In the following pages, the word will
be given to a series of scholars, practitioners and po-
OLFPDNHUVDOODFWLYHLQGLHUHQWIRUPVDWWKHORFDOOH-
vel. Their contributions will, on the one hand, analyse
the reasons of the “urban factor”, i.e. the connection
between diversity, closeness and innovation so typi-cal
of urban environments; and on the other, present
some innovative approach and practices of diversity
management in cities, which have proven particularly
successful in favouring local development.
All together, the articles in the following pages will tell
a story based on a clear assumption: if cities are where
the future is built, they have a fundamentally strategic
role, which has to be recognised and correctly dealt
with. Our cities, big and small, are on the frontline to
lead real change and improve the lives of all their ci-tizens.
Is Europe ready to become a continent of
Divercities?
Editorial
Tales from
the urban age
Giovanni Collot
Editor in Chief
4. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Growing the tree
of diversity
What would life be without diversity? It may sound like
a strange question, in an age, as ours, in which po-liticians
and citizens often look at diversity as a dan-ger
to our lifestyles, rather than as a chance. For this
reason, it is important to point out that diversity is
not just an accident of history, due to the disrupting
HHFWV RI JOREDOLVDWLRQ LW KDV DOZDV EHHQ D IXQGD-
mental element in the development of human beings.
Throughout history, both individuals and populations
have moved across borders. Some were motivated by
“negative factors”, escaping events such as wars, fa-mines
or natural disasters; others, by more positive
RQHVVXFKDVHVWDEOLVKLQJQHZWUDGHURXWHVRUȴQGLQJ
the best lands to feed their cattle. In both cases, it ap-pears
clearly that man is not a sedentary creature: it
is a migratory one.
Migration is not only a constant of human history; it is
also a fact that has increased in modern times to num-bers
never seen before, due to a series of unprece-dented
developments in technologies, economy and
society. New means of transports have made travel-ling
much easier, cheaper and more comfortable than
ever. The industrial revolution swiping the world in the
19th and 20th centuries created a vast need for cheap
workforce for the new factories, for trained profes-sionals
to manage them, thus pushing people away
from the countryside and into the cities, the heart of
the growing economic system, and later on for inter-national
professionals at ease with moving across the
4 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
Dr. Adem Kumcu,
President of UNITEE
globe to work for the new multinational companies.
After the end of the second World War, national bor-
GHUVKDYHEHFRPHWKLQQHUDQGWKLQQHUZKLOHFRQȵLFWV
between states have given way to new forms of coo-peration.
All these processes, paired to uneven econo-
PLFGHYHORSPHQWVLQGLHUHQWDUHDVRIWKHZRUOGKDYH
contributed to an increase in the number of people
PRYLQJDVZHOODVWRDGLYHUVLȴFDWLRQRIPLJUDWLRQIDF-
tors. The modern era has seen, next to the traditional
migration from deprived regions to wealthiest one, a
rise of the movement between wealthy countries, thus
leading to an age of “multi-level” migrations.
This unprecedented and sustained movement has led
to an increase in diversity, dubbed by researchers as
“superdiversity”. This is especially evident in global
FLWLHV DQG WDNH GLHUHQW IRUPV VXFK DV PXOWLFXOWXUD-
OLVPPXOWLOLQJXDOLVPRUGLHUHQWVRFLDOFODVVHVOLYLQJ
next to each other. The result is a more colourful and
varied society, but at the same time, a more complex
one. Indeed, there is no denying that diversity gene-rates
new challenges, especially in big cities, as evi-denced
by the segregation of neighbourhoods, social
FRQȵLFWVDQGWKHODFNRIVHFXULWUHDODQGSHUFHLYHG
5. ΖQWHJUDWLQJ GLHUHQW FXOWXUHV OLIHVWOHV DQG QHHGV LQ
the same spaces cannot be done easily.
To meet these challenges, some choose an easy me-thod:
building fortresses and heavily controlling mi-gratory
movement. The temptation is hard to resist,
6. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
BRIEFING
Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 5
especially in our years of severe economic crisis. But let
us ask ourselves frankly: do we want to live surroun-
GHGEIRUWUHVVHVDQZHDRUGWKHVHIRUWUHVVHV7KH
UHDOLWLVSXWEOXQWOZHFDQQRW$VEULHȵPHQWLRQHG
above, migrations are a founding element of humanity.
Living in fear and isolation is not a solution, regardless
of how appealing the idea might look. Diversity is not
DFROODWHUDOLVVXHZKDWFDQEHVROYHGZLWKDȵLFNRIWKH
wrist: diversity is a fact and is here to stay. For this rea-son,
it has to be acknowledged and dealt with in the
best way possible. In this regard, cities, companies and
communities are the basic constituents of society, since
they represent respectively where individuals live, what
they do and how they aggregate with other people. Ef-
ȴFLHQWOPDQDJLQJGLYHUVLWPXVWEHFRPHDJRDODWDOO
levels of policy and practices.
6XFK D WDVN UHTXLUHV D ORW RI HRUWV IURP SXEOLF DQG
private stakeholders alike. But the reward is worth it.
Diversity, when well managed, has fantastic advantages
WRRHU2SHQGLYHUVHVRFLHWLHVKDYHDOZDVSURYHQWR
be more creative and innovative, due to their ability to
SXWWRJHWKHUDQGPL[LGHDVFRPLQJIURPGLHUHQWEDFN-
grounds. Furthermore, individuals living in a diverse so-ciety
enter into contact with a huge variety of cultures,
ZKLFKPDNHVWKHPUHDGLHUWRFRQQHFWDQGȴQGRSSRU-
tunities in the global, interconnected economy. What is
more, diversity has a special way to perpetuate itself:
open societies tend to attract talents from abroad.
If the immediate economic potential of such a situation
is clear and should be of particular interest for EU po-licy
makers, looking for ways to restart their countries
economic growth, one should not forget the inherent
FXOWXUDO DQG SROLWLFDO DGYDQWDJHV RHUHG E GLYHUVLW
even if less disruptive, in the long term, they will re-present
an even bigger resource for European society.
The main rule explaining biodiversity is that what does
not transform will decline and then, eventually, die.
Well-managed diversity allows society as a whole to be
more respondent to external changes and, thus, more
competitive.
Is there, then, a recipe for successful diversity manage-ment?
Where can we all start to grow the tree of diver-sity
in our societies? As a general rule, we might point
out two main lines of action. On the one hand, a mul-ti-
level governance which is aware of the importance of
integration and works to put it at the centre of the po-
OLWLFDODFWLRQLVUHTXLUHG2QWKHRWKHUKDQGGLYHUVLWȇV
economic potential has to become real, establishing
tools for the professionalisation of minorities and for
workplace diversity management in companies and the
public sector alike.
The following pages will present some examples of
KRZWKHVHJHQHUDOJXLGHOLQHVFDQEHDSSOLHGWRVSHFLȴF
cases. They will focus mainly on cities because urban
areas have to deal, in nuce, with all challenges deriving
from diversity, thus coming up very often with the most
creative and comprehensive solutions for diversity ma-nagement
in complex environments.
ΖDPFRQȴGHQWWKDWWKHFDVHVDQGRSLQLRQVSUHVHQWLQ
this issue will be of inspiration for all those, policy ma-kers,
experts, managers and ordinary citizens, who are
looking for new ways to make Europe a truly diverse
continent.
Dr. Adem Kumcu
7. ISSUE NO.3 - AUTUMN 2014
CONTENT
CONTRIBUTORS 2 // EDITORIAL 3// LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 4
BRIEFING
The urban factor, Alexandra Lacroix 8
OPENCities, Andrea Wagner 11
08
OPINIONS
Reframing Europe’s immigration through an urban lens, 14
Manjula Luthria Casey Weston
Self and the city, Daniel E. Bell Avner De Shalit 18
«The key to cities’ success? High quality of life for all», 20
Interview with Marcel Prunera, Imacity
14
12 29
WORLDVIEW
Foshan’s 4 surprises, Andrew Cheng Xiao Geng 22
Reviving motor city, Giovanni Collot 24
22
SOLUTIONS
Towards intercultural cities, Irena Guidikova 27
The immigration innovation, Meghan Benton 31
Cities as inclusive employers, Anna Lisa Boni 34
27
6 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
8. POLICY VIEWS
OXLO: city branding through diversity, Toralv Moe 37
Belgian melting pot, crossroad of Europe, Jérémy Jenard 40
ARCHITECTURE SPECIAL
Planning diversity and multiculturalism, Gabriele Pitacco 43 43
MEET THE NEW EUROPEANS
Giving migrants a voice, Laura Baeyens 47 47
Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 7
37
41 54
BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS
«In a company, an inclusive culture improves services and productivity», 50
Interview with Jean Michel Monnot, Sodexo
77Ζ3ZKDWZLOOWKHEHQHȴWVIRU60(VEH, Jan Schmitz Martina Lodrant 53
50
EUROVIEWS
«The secret of success lies in cities», Interview with Edward Glaeser 56 56
9. BRIEFING
The Urban Factor
Alexandra Lacroix
An overview of the connection between diversity, innovation
and economic success in urban areas.
European city dwellers may live in the same neighbourhood
DQGOHDGFRPSOHWHOGLHUHQWOLYHV7KHPDZRUNLQWKH
same company, but have various cultural backgrounds.
Over the last decades elevated levels of global mobility
and migration, fuelled by the poor and the rich, the skilled
and the under-skilled have created in many European ci-ties
both an overall population growth and a much more
FRVPRSROLWDQPL[)RUH[DPSOHZLWKRYHUGLHUHQWQD-
tionalities, ethnic minorities represent 45% of the popula-tion
of Amsterdam. Foreign-born account for 40% of Inner
/RQGRQȇV SRSXODWLRQ LQ ΖQ ODUJH (XURSHDQ FLWLHV DQ
increasing part of the population has on a personal or fa-mily
related migration experience.
Many believe that this cultural and social diversity is not
only inevitable, but also represents a fundamental oppor-tunity
for cities, which they should seize. Diversity is indeed
FUXFLDO WR IRVWHULQJ GLHUHQW SHUVSHFWLYHV DQG LGHDV DQG
is therefore a critical component of being innovative and
successful on a global scale. However, urban diversity also
presents a profound challenge for our cities, in terms of
HQKDQFHGLQHTXDOLWLHVVHJUHJDWLRQDQGSRWHQWLDOFRQȵLFWV
between ethnic communities.
7RRYHUFRPHWKHGLɝFXOWLHVUHODWHGWRLQFUHDVHGOHYHOVRI
migration and diversity, cities will thus have to adopt ade-quate
policies and practices. In an era of worldwide interde-pendence,
only those cities that will allow their diversity to
EHWKHLUDVVHWDQGQRWWKHLUKDQGLFDSZLOOȵRXULVK
Diversity means more economic opportunities
It has long been acknowledged that European cities tre-
PHQGRXVO EHQHȴW IURP KDYLQJ D GLYHUVH SRSXODWLRQ
starting with the role of migrants in counteracting falling
birth-rates and labour market shortages. The overall popu-lation
of working age in Europe is likely to decline by 6 mil-lion
by 2020, which in turn means that there will be fewer
and fewer secondary school and university graduates. Fur-thermore,
the European Commission expects the propor-
8 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
WLRQRIMREVHPSORLQJKLJKTXDOLȴHGSHRSOHWRLQFUHDVHE
2020 to over a third and the proportion employing those
ZLWKORZTXDOLȴFDWLRQVWRGHFUHDVHWRWKHUHEHQKDQ-
cing the risk of skill mismatches. Europe, and in particular
European cities, therefore need a greater proportion of re-latively
young working age adults. Migrants can be part of
the solutions, as they tend to be younger than the popula-tion
of their country of destination: in 2012, the median age
of the national population in all EU Member States was 43
years, compared to 35 years among foreigners.
+RZHYHU PLJUDQWV GR QRW VLPSO ȴOO MRE YDFDQFLHV DQG
labour shortages. Some of them become self-employed
and entrepreneurs, thus creating new jobs, for themsel-ves
and for others. Entrepreneurship tends to be slightly
higher among immigrants than among natives in most
OECD countries: around 12.7% of migrants of working age
are self-employed, compared with 12.0% among natives.
After all, the risk inherent in moving to a country with a
GLHUHQWODQJXDJHDQGFXOWXUHZLWKWKHDLPRIUHLQYHQWLQJ
yourself, is similar to the risk of investing money and ener-gy
to transform an idea into a commercial product or ser-vice.
The fear of failure and social pressure, both from the
home and the source country, is another motivating factor.
Moreover, by taking over some businesses that have been
abandoned by native entrepreneurs, migrants also contri-bute
to rejuvenate streets and neighbourhoods in decline.
One only needs to stroll along the streets of European ci-ties
to witness the economic contribution of migrants: in
Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Zurich, immigrant businesses
FRPSULVHDURXQGRIDOOEXVLQHVVHVDQGWKLVȴJXUHULVHV
to over 35% in Amsterdam, Strasburg and Vienna. On top
RIWKLVDGLYHUVLȴFDWLRQRIWKHSRSXODWLRQDOVRPHDQVQHZ
markets opportunities, which both migrant and native en-trepreneurs
may grasp.
Entrepreneurs with a migrant background also play a key
role in integrating cities in global networks and markets.
Very often, when migrants move to another city, they
keep some connections with their country of origin. These
11. RWKHUVZHUHDEOHWRVROYHSUREOHPV
for example, related to their size (20th century New York,
which developed the skyscraper). His results show a clear
correlation between the “cosmopolitan character” of a city
and its innovation ability. According to him, «the creative
cities were nearly all cosmopolitan; they drew talent from
the four corners of their worlds, and from the very start of
WKRVHZRUOGVZHUHRIWHQVXUSULVLQJOIDUȵXQJ3UREDEO
no city has ever been creative without continued renewal
of the creative bloodstream.»
This conclusion does not come as a surprise. How does
innovation occur? Innovation comes from the interaction
RIGLHUHQWNQRZOHGJHDQGSHUVSHFWLYHVΖWLVWKXVPRUH
OLNHO WR ȵRXULVK LQ D GLYHUVH VRFLHW ZKHUH WKHUH DUH
SHRSOHIURPYDULRXVKRUL]RQVEULQJLQJGLHUHQWLGHDV
As the American urban studies theorist Richard Florida
puts it, what drives innovation today is people, especial-ly
those he refers to as the “Creative Class” and whose
role in the economy of a particular area is to produce new
ideas, new technology and/or new creative content, such
as, for example, people in science and engineering and
creative professionals in business. In his work The Rise of
the Creative Class, Richard Florida undertook an analysis
RIȴIW8QLWHG6WDWHVFLWLHVDQGKLVUHVXOWVVXJJHVWDFOHDU
correlation between diversity and increased innovation.
Creating a diversity-friendly environment
For some authors and many policy makers, the opportuni-ties
brought by diversity seem to be overshadowed by an
increase in inequalities, misunderstandings and racist and
xenophobic attitudes, which may undermine a collective
sense of identity and lead to exclusion and urban disor-der.
For example, Harvard political scientist Robert Put-nam
argued in his 2007 article “E Pluribus Unum: Diversity
and Community in the 21st Century” that “in the short to
medium run, immigration and ethnic diversity challenge
social solidarity and inhibit social capital.” In other words,
according to him, the greater the diversity in a community,
the lower are trust, altruism and community cooperation.
If one cannot deny that Europeans cities are faced eve-
UGDEFRQȵLFWLQJLQWHUHVWVDQGFRQIURQWDWLRQEHWZHHQ
GLHUHQWHWKQLFJURXSVRQHFDQDOVRQRWGHQWKDWLPPL-
gration and diversity are inevitable. European cities thus
have no choice but to transform this diversity challenge
into an advantage. As Robert Putnam himself says: «In
the medium to long run, successful immigrant societies
create new forms of social solidarity and dampen the ne-
JDWLYHHHFWVRIGLYHUVLWEFRQVWUXFWLQJQHZPRUHHQ-
compassing identities. Thus, the central challenge for mo-
12. dern, diversifying societies is to create a new, broader sense
RIȆZHȇ}+RZFDQFLWLHVPD[LPLVHWKHSRWHQWLDORIWKHLUGL-
verse population while creating and maintaining social
FRKHVLRQ+RZFDQWKHHPEUDFHFXOWXUDOGLHUHQFHVDQG
still be able to achieve a sense of shared identity?
A local issue
First of all, policy makers need to acknowledge that, given
WKH UROH FLWLHV SOD LQ QHZFRPHUVȇ LQWHJUDWLRQ DQG HYHQ
WKRXJK WKH UHJXODWLRQ RI LPPLJUDWLRQ ȵRZV WDNHV SODFH
primarily at the national level, it is the cities and municipa-
OLWLHV WKDW QHHG WR GHȴQH SROLFLHV IDFLOLWDWLQJ LQWHUFXOWXUDO
interaction and inclusion. The needs of all newcomers –
ȴQGLQJDKRXVHDQGDMREOHJDOUHFRJQLWLRQDQGSURWHFWLRQ
education and welfare services – are increasingly a local
issue.
A resource, rather than a problem
Second, policy makers should start considering diversity as
an integral part of the development process of their cities,
rather than as a problem seeking solution; in other words,
as a resource rather than as a limit. Opting for this new
GLYHUVLW WKLQNLQJ ZRXOG KHOS WKHP JHW ULG RI LOOGHȴQHG
concepts and outdated practices that are currently hinde-ring
the development of new initiatives.
Public recognition and awareness raising
This new mentality towards diversity cannot be the one
of local governments alone, but needs to be shared col-lectively;
it should be adopted by all individuals belonging
to a city. This is why the lack of knowledge and inherent
misperceptions towards migrants and diversity in general
QHHGWREHGLVPDQWOHG$ȴUVWVWHSWRZDUGVWKLVJRDOLVIRU
a city to ensure that its government systems are partici-patory
and inclusive. A second step is to publicly embrace
diversity as a resource. Many European cities are already
10 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
KHDGLQJ WRZDUGV WKDW GLUHFWLRQ DV WHVWLȴHG E WKHLU PRW-
tos “The Power of a Diverse City” (Amsterdam, the Nether-lands),
“Managing Diversity and Living Together” (Terrassa,
Spain), “Wien ist Vielfalt” – Vienna is Diversity (Vienna, Aus-tria).
Reviewing policies through an “intercultural” lens
This new approach to diversity should, of course, be trans-
ODWHGLQWRWKHFLWLHVȇSROLFLHVDQGSUDFWLFHV7KHRXQFLORI
Europe and the European Commission, for example, en-courage
European cities to develop comprehensive inter-cultural
strategies. Based on a three-year pilot programme,
the intercultural approach to integration contends that all
SROLFLHVEHLWRQWKHȴHOGVRIHGXFDWLRQKRXVLQJSROLFLQJ
the labour market and urban development, should be re-viewed
through an “intercultural lens”. In other words, di-versity
management should be an integral part of all city
VHUYLFHVȇ VWUDWHJLHV DQG QRW WKH UHVSRQVLELOLW RI MXVW RQH
department.
Since diversity is key to economic success, European cities
must unleash the full potential of their diverse population
by adopting the right mentality and adequate policies. And
by becoming more diversity friendly, European cities will
attract creative people even more, thus building a virtuous
circle of economic growth.
As Richard Florida puts it: «Our theory is that a connection
H[LVWVEHWZHHQDPHWURSROLWDQDUHDȇVOHYHORIWROHUDQFHIRU
a range of people, its ethnic and social diversity, and its suc-cess
in attracting talented people, including high-technolo-gy
workers. People in technology businesses are drawn to
places known for diversity of thought and open-minded-ness.
These places possess what we refer to as low bar-riers
to entry for human capital. Diverse, inclusive com-munities
that welcome gays, immigrants, artists and free
WKLQNLQJȆERKHPLDQVȇDUHLGHDOIRUQXUWXULQJFUHDWLYLWDQG
innovation, both keys to success in the new technology.»
BRIEFING
13. BRIEFING
OPENCities
International Populations
as a Factor for City Success
Andrea Wagner
BAK Basel
ΖVLWSRVVLEOHWRFDOFXODWHWKHHFRQRPLFHHFWRIGLYHUVLWRQDFLWȇVJURZWKUDWH
7RȴQGDQDQVZHU6ZLVV%$.%DVHOLQWURGXFHG23(1LWLHVPRQLWRU
a tool to calculate urban openness around the world.
Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 11
All over the Globe, people are migrating to cities and, by
2050, two thirds of the World population will live in ur-ban
areas. This growing urbanisation, together with the
commercial and economic globalisation, result in an in-creasingly
diverse population. The importance of human
capital and human creativity as one of the key factors
RI VXVWDLQDEOH HFRQRPLF ORQJWHUP JURZWK LV VLJQLȴFDQW
and rising. Cities must, therefore, be attractive and open.
They must provide a tolerant environment for talents and
technologies to attract and retain these international po-pulation
groups. Open places are open for new people
and ideas and, therefore, will manifest a higher concen-tration
of talent and higher rates of innovation. Interna-tional
populations are seen as positive contributors to
the labour force. More importantly, international popu-lations
improve the quality of life and the attractiveness
of the city for international events, investors and visitors.
Internationalisation and the resulting human diversity is
DVSXUYLDGLHUHQWPHGLXPVWRWKHHFRQRPLFVXFFHVVRI
cities. If open cities are more successful than less open
ones, they will want to know how open they are in order
to become more successful. Being able to compare their
openness to that of other cities could be useful too.
OPENCities is an international project that helps cities to
become more open and competitive. It has been initiated
by the British Council and conducted in cooperation with
cities worldwide, as well as with experts, Between 2008
and 2011, it has been funded by the European Com-mission
within the city development program URBACT.
23(1LWLHV LGHQWLȴHV WKH OLQN EHWZHHQ LQWHUQDWLRQDO PL-
gration and economic growth, measures the multidimen-sional
phenomenon of openness and provides with qua-litative
recommendations towards internationalisation,
integration and diversity policies on local level.
The economic performance of a city depends on its poten-tial,
attractiveness and openness. Productive manpower
and capital along with the portfolio of manufacturing and
service industries make up the economic foundation of
D FLW 7KH FDSDFLW RI D FLW WR EH VXFFHVVIXO LQ WRGDȇV
economy depends on its framework conditions for com-panies
(business climate) and people (quality of life). In
order to succeed, cities need these framework conditions
to be attractive (appealing to both people and businesses)
and open (accessible for both people and businesses). Ci-ties
should try to remove or reduce barriers for people
entering, staying and/or eventually leaving. Moreover,
the barriers for starting, conducting and closing a com-
14. BRIEFING
Graph 1: Index of Openness
The Index of Openness indicates the degree of openness of a city, compared to the city sample. The
city can attain values above or below 100. Values above 100 indicate that the city is more open than the
city sample. Values below 100 signal that the city is less open that the city sample. Source: BAK Basel
pany should be as low as possible.
7KH 23(1LWLHV SURMHFW IRFXVHV RQ FLWLHVȇ DWWUDFWLYHQHVV
and openness for people. These are two vital ingredients
for the long-term performance of cities.
What is openness?
Openness is «the capacity of a city to attract international
populations and to enable them to contribute to the fu-ture
success of the city». In order to do that, cities need to
IXOȴOWKHFULWHULDZKLFKLQFLWHLQWHUQDWLRQDOSRSXODWLRQVWR
move to these cities and to remain there. The openness
of cities can also be described as the provision of low bar-riers
of entry and good opportunities for intercultural ex-change
and participation. In addition, an open city needs
to be attractive for international populations.
:KDWLVWKH23(1LWLHV0RQLWRU
The OPENCities Monitor is a new city benchmark tool de-veloped
by BAK Basel Economics AG. It is a unique colla-boration
and learning tool to measure city openness. It
allows collaborating cities to benchmark their openness
and assess how open they are towards international po-pulations.
Openness is a multidimensional and complex
phenomenon which has to be measured by a large num-
EHURILQGLYLGXDOLQGLFDWRUVZKLFKDVVHVVGLHUHQWDVSHFWV
of openness. Overall, it can be stated that openness can
be measured using a multitude of indicators that take the
multidimensional nature of the phenomenon of openness
into account. The OPENCities Monitor thus measures
openness with 53 internationally comparable indicators.
These indicators are subdivided in 11 areas: migration,
12 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
TXDOLWRIOLIHLQWHUQDWLRQDOȵRZVVWDQGDUGRIOLYLQJIUHH-
dom, international presence, infrastructures, barriers of
entry, education, international events and diversity ac-tions.
The OPENCities Monitor compromises the aggre-gated
and transformed results of the indicators into an in-dex
family (summary index and sub-indices of each area).
The Monitor is now available for 26 cities worldwide and
RHUVWKHIROORZLQJDSSOLFDWLRQVIRUFLWLHV
- Strengths-weaknesses-analyses about the openness
of the city in a comparable manner,
- Possibility to personally choose the sample of com-parative
cities and/or similar cities (e.g. in accordance to
size),
- Access to city case studies and key policy recommen-dations,
- Discussions about the importance of migration and
cultural diversity for economic success.
The OPENCities Monitor is an online tool that provides
ZLWK D FLW SURȴOH 7KH SURȴOH RI WKH FLW LV PHDVXUHG
against the average results of the city sample and against
the group of cities compared with. Take the example of
1HZ RUN WKH VWUHQJWKV DQG ZHDNQHVVHV RI 1HZ RUNȇV
openness can be easily assessed, since it scores excellent-ly
and is the second most open city worldwide. It has a
particularly attractive and high-level education facilities
and a high degree of international presence. The barriers
of entry for foreigners, however, are high in the United
States.
15. BRIEFING
Graph 2: Index of Openness, ranking 2012
Source: BAK Basel
Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 13
Developed as a working tool, the OPENCities Monitor of-fers
practical examples and ideas that are successful and
can easily be adapted and used. The best practice exa-mples
can help a city to improve its openness. The OPEN-Cities
Monitor also provides policy recommendations and
outlines learning points for the above mentioned policy
themes. (Internationalisation, Leadership Governance
and Managing diversity).
The results of the OPENCities Monitor can be analysed
LQYDULRXVZDV$ȴUVWLPSUHVVLRQSUHVHQWHGLQJUDSK
gives the ranking of the 26 surveyed cities. London, fol-lowed
by New York, Toronto, Paris and the two Swiss ci-
WLHV=XULFKDQG%DVHOKDYHHPHUJHGDVWKH:RUOGȇVPRVW
open cities for international populations. London tops
the ranking as a result of a combination of its high de-gree
of internationalisation and its excellent accessibility
and connectivity. London also provides attractive and
high-quality education facilities for people from all over
the World. The second place goes to New York - mainly
due to its cosmopolitan aspect. Paris ranks fourth, since
it is the city with most international events, but it has also
high barriers of entry. In contrast, Toronto (third position)
VFRUHVEHVWLQWKHDUHDȆEDUULHUVRIHQWUȇDQGȆPLJUDWLRQȇ
=XULFK ȴIWK SODFH
16. RHUV WKH KLJKHVW TXDOLW RI OLYLQJ IRU
foreigners and Basel (sixth place) provides the highest
standard of living compared to all cities of the sample.
6RȴD %XOJDULD
18. DUH FRQVLGHUDEO
below the city sample average in every areas.
The results of the OPENCities Monitor allow testing various
hypotheses about the diversity and economic success. Is
there a link between the openness of a city (measured
by the Openness Index) and its economic development
PHDVXUHGEWKH*'3SHUFDSLWD
19. $ȴUVWKLQWLVJLYHQLQ
graph 2, where it can be seen that there is a clear correla-tion
between these two variables. GDP per capita is higher
in open cities. However, there is clearly more research ne-cessary
to analyse the nature of this relationship in more
detail.
Due to the increasing international interdependence re-sulting
from globalisation, openness is a success factor for
FLWLHV DOO DURXQG WKH *OREH LWLHVEHQHȴWWLQJ IURP WKHLU
culturally diverse populations and internationalisation,-
FDQ LQȵXHQFH WKHLU GHJUHH RI RSHQQHVV FRPSDUH WKHP-
selves with their competitors and monitor their progress
towards openness. The OPENCities Monitor helps cities
improve their openness through benchmarking, good
practice examples and policy recommendations.
RXFDQȴQGPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQRQWKH23(1LWLHVSURMHFWRQ
WKHLUZHEVLWHRSHQFLWLHVHXRUEGLUHFWOFRQWDFWLQJWKH
DXWKRUat andrea.wagner@bakbasel.com
20. OPINIONS
Reframing Europe’s Immigration
Through An Urban Lens
Manjula Luthria Casey Weston
World Bank
7KHLPPLJUDWLRQGHEDWHLQ(XURSHVXHUVIURPXQIRXQGHGQHJDWLYHSUHMXGLFHV
LWLHVKDYLQJWKHPRVWWRJDLQIURPPLJUDQWVȇHFRQRPLFFRQWULEXWLRQKDYH
an historic role in fostering a change of mentality starting from the local level.
7KLV HDUȇV (XURSHDQ SDUOLDPHQWDU HOHFWLRQV UHYHDOHG
three important paradoxes in European migration dia-logue.
First, public discourse displayed egregious misa-lignment
between popular perceptions of immigration
and immigration realities. These unfounded perceptions
RI LPPLJUDWLRQȇV LPSDFWV IXHOHG WKH DVFHQW RI DQWLLPPL-
gration and xenophobic political parties and, unfortuna-tely,
underpinned national-level dialogue. The abstract
nature of national dialogue stemmed from a second gap:
the failure of national policymakers to engage and learn
from more practical local-level discourse about migration.
Had national leaders engaged local leadership in the dis-cussion,
they might have avoided the third misalignment:
DVNLQJ WKH TXHVWLRQ Ȋ'RHV LPPLJUDWLRQ EHQHȴW GHVWLQD-
tion communities?” This inquiry is poorly framed not only
because empirical evidence has largely answered it in the
DɝUPDWLYHEXWDOVREHFDXVHLWDVVXPHVWKDWWKHSKHQR-
menon of migration can be immediately stopped (and has
not always been occurring). A more productive query, and
one that local and regional leaders have already begun to
ask themselves and their constituencies, is: “How can des-
WLQDWLRQFRPPXQLWLHVPD[LPL]HWKHEHQHȴWVRIPLJUDWLRQȋ
Exploring this question is the best way to arrive at practical
SROLFWRROVWKDWEHQHȴWQDWLYHVDQGLPPLJUDQWVDOLNH
Looking over a four-leaf clover: perceptions
vs. data
Popular perceptions of immigration, which often vehe-
PHQWOGHQLPPLJUDWLRQȇVFXUUHQWEHQHȴWVWRGHVWLQDWLRQ
VRFLHWLHV RYHUORRN VLJQLȴFDQW GDWD RQ WKH LVVXH *HQHUD-
lized arguments often describe migrant unemployment,
EHQHȴWGHSHQGHQFHDQGWKHFRQVHTXHQWGUDLQRQSXEOLF
FRHUVΖQ$SULOIRUH[DPSOHD7HOHJUDSKDUWLFOHUH-
ported on the public drain caused by 3,000 unemployed
14 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
European immigrants receiving £100 weekly in UK Hou-
VLQJ%HQHȴWVFRVWLQJWD[SDHUVePLOOLRQDQQXDOO
7KHDUWLFOHDQGVLPLODUODODUPLVWUHSRUWVRIPLJUDQWVȇVR-
cietal costs, failed to mention important auxiliary informa-tion
to complement the presented data. These 3,000 indi-viduals,
who comprise about one-tenth of one percent of
the European migrants in the UK, are the exception rather
than the rule. Overall, European migrants to the UK—es-
SHFLDOO PRUH UHFHQW RQHVȃKDYH PDGH D SRVLWLYH ȴVFDO
LPSDFWHYHQDVWKH8.KDVUXQȴVFDOGHȴFLWVΖQIDFWWKLV
WUHQGLVQRWXQLTXHWRWKH8.$2('UHSRUWFRQȴU-
med that, in all but three OECD countries, immigrants had
DSRVLWLYHȴVFDOLPSDFWRQVRFLHWFRQWULEXWLQJDQHWDYH-
rage of 3.280 Euros annually through taxes and other fees.
(YHQLILQFRPLQJLPPLJUDQWVZHUHQRWLPPHGLDWHOȴVFDO-
OEHQHȴFLDOFRVWVDVVRFLDWHGZLWKVXSSRUWLQJWKHLUDUULYDO
and transition should be viewed as an investment. Due to
ageing, native workforces in Europe are already shrinking
dramatically. By 2020, the working age population in OECD
countries will lose 15% more people than it will gain an-nually.
In Germany, this number is as high as 60%, while
in Greece and Italy it approaches 40% and even Spain
DQG 3RUWXJDO H[FHHG 3RODQGȇV LPSOLHV WKDW WKH
FRXQWUZKLFKKDVVHUYHGDVDVLJQLȴFDQWVRXUFHRIODERU
in Western Europe will soon cease to do so. European po-licymakers
thinking about the human resources required
IRU IXWXUH HFRQRPLF JURZWK PLJKW FRQVLGHU LPPLJUDQWVȇ
SRWHQWLDOWRȴOODJURZLQJYRLG
6XSSRUWLQJ LPPLJUDQWVȇ HFRQRPLF VWDELOLVDWLRQ XSRQ DU-
rival would be a sound social and economic investment
HYHQ ZLWKRXW (XURSHȇV FXUUHQW GHPRJUDSKLF VKLIWV 'DWD
VKRZ WKDW LPPLJUDQWV DUH ȴOOLQJ LPSRUWDQW ODERU PDUNHW
roles at all skill levels, but not rapidly enough. 2011 em-ployer
surveys report that about half of all small and me-
22. OPINIONS
/DERUPDUNHWLQWHJUDWLRQKDVWRUHOQRWRQORQQDWLRQDOSROLFLHVEXWRQORFDOOHYHOHRUWV
$IWHU DOO LPPLJUDQWV FRQFHQWUDWH LQ FHQWUDO FLWLHV ZKHUH WDUJHWHG HRUWV FDQ KDYH PRUH LPSDFW
Source: OECD, OPEC, RU, SSB, Ineqcity, Denmark, City of Zurich
policy responses to other concerns. In light of continued
economic shifts away from manufacturing and towar-
GV VHUYLFH LQGXVWULHV FLW OHDGHUV LQ (XURSHȇV VPDOO FLWLHV
must identify how to encourage a renewed clustering of
LQQRYDWLRQDQGVPDOODQGPHGLXPȴUPJURZWKΖQPLGGOH
tier cities, leaders must contend with municipal shrinkage
FDXVHGEDJHLQJDQGWKHGHSDUWXUHRIPHJDȴUPVWR(X-
URSHȇV ODUJHVW PHWURSROLVHV ΖQ ODUJH XUEDQ DUHDV DXWKR-
rities must ensure that increasingly diverse communities
contribute to a harmonious and inclusive atmosphere.
For cities at all levels, a national dialogue that consistent-
OUHWXUQVWRFRQVLGHUWKHEHQHȴWVRIPLJUDWLRQLVODUJHO
impractical, if not entirely unhelpful. Urban areas are the
destination point for most international immigration, and
FLWLHVȇOHDGHUVPXVWWXUQWKHLUWKRXJKWVWRZDUGVKRZWROH-
YHUDJHWKDWIDFWIRUWKHEHQHȴWRIWKHLUFRPPXQLWLHV
Smaller cities, eager to bolster the proliferation of small
and medium enterprises, might consider the role that mi-
JUDQWV FRXOG KDYH LQ HFRQRPLF GLYHUVLȴFDWLRQ DQG UHYLWD-
lization. Entrepreneurship rates of migrants approximate
those of natives in many European countries despite mi-
JUDQWVȇ ODFN RI FRQWH[WXDO PDUNHW LQIRUPDWLRQ HFRQRPLF
support networks, or—often—linguistic or tacit cultural
communication skills. On the contrary, a 2010 OECD ana-
OVLVRIȴUPELUWKVDQGFORVXUHVLQ*HUPDQUHYHDOHGWKDW
QHZPLJUDQWOHGȴUPVIUHTXHQWORXWODVWHGȴUPVVWDUWHG
by natives. One potential reason for this discrepancy is
PLJUDQWVȇHQKDQFHGDELOLWWRRYHUFRPHȊEDUULHUVWRLQWHU-
nationalisation,” through their language skills and unders-tanding
of foreign markets and overseas expansion op-portunities.
16 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
While support to entrepreneurial immigration
would by no means serve as a complete response to eco-
QRPLFVKLIWVKDSSHQLQJLQ(XURSHȇVVPDOOHUFLWLHVLWPDNHV
sense for these localities to consider it among a menu of
policy tools to support renewed growth.
Inviting immigration could also be a municipal tool to batt-
OHORFDOOHYHOSRSXODWLRQVKULQNDJHZKLFKDGYHUVHODHFWV
PDQ (XURSHDQ FLWLHV RI (XURSHȇV ODUJH FLWLHV KDYH
experienced population decreases over the past several
decades, due to suburban population shifts and ageing,
among other factors. Large-scale population declines lead
to a decrease in housing values, abandonment and decay
of valuable infrastructure, and a tighter labor pool that is
unattractive to prospective employers. Furthermore, city
shrinkage “operates synergistically to put strains on the
overall economy,” implying more serious repercussions
for national economies, as well. Immigrants can help rep-lenish
labor pools, put valuable infrastructure to use, and
give some modicum of balance to tilting dependency ra-
WLRVWKDWWKUHDWHQPXQLFLSDOȴQDQFHV+RZHYHULQFRUSRUD-
ting immigrants into the labor market, and society at large,
requires thoughtful planning and goal-oriented dialogue,
as demonstrated by large European cities with existing im-migrant
populations.
Facilitating the integration of migrants into local labor
markets, social networks, and neighborhoods must soon
be a goal not only for larger cities, but cities around Europe
VHHNLQJWRPD[LPL]HWKHEHQHȴWVRILPPLJUDWLRQ6HYHUDO
European-wide initiatives and programs exist to assist in
23. OPINIONS
Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 17
WKHVHHRUWV7KH'LYHUVLWLQWKH(FRQRPDQG/RFDOΖQ-
tegration (DELI) seeks to encourage enhanced dialogue
around how to foster the growth of migrant enterprises,
while Eurocities works to advance the agenda of migrant
inclusion at the European-level. Increasingly, however, ci-
WLHV KRSLQJ WR PD[LPL]H WKH EHQHȴWV RI LPPLJUDWLRQ ZLOO
need to craft strategies to cultivate an inclusive environ-ment
that facilitates urban migrant integration.
:RUNOLYHEXLOGGHȴQLQJLQWHJUDWLRQ
0D[LPL]LQJ WKH EHQHȴWV RI LQWHUQDWLRQDO ODERU PREL-
lity—for neighborhoods, municipal regions, nations, and
Europe in general—requires an understanding of the
barriers to immigrant success. Restrictions on access to
labor markets, community participation, and housing
prevent the integration that could lead to economic
prosperity, social cohesion, and neighborhood revita-
OL]DWLRQ LQ (XURSHȇV FLWLHV 7KXV PXQLFLSDO SODQV VKRXOG
aim to identify how these barriers manifest themselves
in urban areas and consult with immigrant workers and
business-owners, related NGOs, community groups, and
urban planners on how to dismantle them.
Barriers to labor market integration can take the form of
skill invisibility, inherent biases, or communication bar-riers.
Skill invisibility can occur when local employment
institutions (or employers, themselves) do not have the
information or resources necessary to detect the value of
vocational skills or degrees acquired in a foreign context.
7KLVGHYDOXDWLRQRILPPLJUDQWVȇH[SHULHQFHRUHGXFDWLRQ
can prevent full exploitation of their abilities in the labor
market. Similarly, unrecognized biases inherent in em-
SORHUVȇ SHUFHSWLRQV RI PLJUDQWV PD OHDG WR XQGHUXWL-
OL]DWLRQRIPLJUDQWVȇVNLOOV6WXGLHVVXJJHVWWKDWGLVPLVVDO
of exemplary employment applications may occur due
VROHOWRWKHIRUHLJQQDWXUHRIDSSOLFDQWVȇQDPHVIRUH[D-
mple. Tackling these sorts of biases requires time and a
FRQFHUWHGSXEOLFHRUWEXWFDQOHDGWRDPRUHHTXLWDEOH
labor market and productive workforce.
3URGXFWLYH ZRUNIRUFHV PXVW EHQHȴW IURP DGHTXDWH SX-
blic services, such as healthcare and transportation, to
which many immigrant communities lack access. Ensu-ring
community integration requires not only a greater
analysis of barriers to service access, but also interme-diation
between service providers—such as police forces,
medical workers, educators, and city planners—and im-migrant
communities. Increased consultation might re-veal
the need for collaborative policing programs to build
community trust, or nuanced zoning regulations to facili-tate
immigrant entrepreneurship in residential neighbo-rhoods.
Labor market integration and social cohesion can lay the
groundwork for migrant integration, as long as neighbo-rhoods
exist that are welcoming to recent arrivals. Whether
WKH DUH DRUGDEOH KRXVLQJ EORFNV WKDW VHUYH DV ODQGLQJ
pads for new residents, or ethnic enclaves that serve as an
important cultural link between migrants and natives, insti-
WXWLRQVPXVWVXSSRUWLPPLJUDQWVȇDELOLWWRURRWWKHPVHOYHV
LQDFLWDQGLQYHVWȃȴQDQFLDOOVRFLDOORURWKHUZLVHȃLQD
new home. Considerations about spatial design, linkages to
other neighborhoods, and functional rather than utopian
planning can all contribute to migrant integration into the
housing market.
3HUKDSVWKHPRVWLPSRUWDQWH[WHUQDOLWRIHRUWVWRFUHDWH
cohesive local-level migrant integration plans is their po-tential
to generate a change in public perception. The work
of local policymakers, service providers, and community
PHPEHUVWRPD[LPL]HWKHEHQHȴWVRIPLJUDWLRQFDQKHOS
shift the dialogue at the municipal, regional, and perhaps
national levels, from abstract and sensationalist to goal-oriented
and productive.
)RUPLQJRYHUDUFKLQJDQGHHFWLYHLQWHJUDWLRQVWUDWHJLHVLV
no easy feat; it requires local leaders to devote time, energy
and funds to piloting policies, measuring results, and dis-seminating
information about impact. Recently, the World
%DQNȇVΖQWHUQDWLRQDO/DERU0RELOLW3URJUDPEDVHGRXWRI
the Center for Mediterranean Integration, has teamed up
with the Ryerson Maytree Global Diversity Exchange, the
Bertlesmann Foundation, Cities Alliance, the Open Society
Foundations, and the German Marshall Fund to think to-gether
with local policymakers and practitioners about how
to advocate for continued policy innovation. This commu-nity
of practice, the Labor Integration Network for Cities
and Urban Planners (LINC-UP), hopes to engage munici-palities
in a process of consultation and policy formation.
ΖGHDOOWKHVHHRUWVZLOOQRWRQOPD[LPL]HWKHEHQHȴWVRI
international migration for migrants and their destination
communities, but also catalyse more productive local and
national dialogues about migration policy.
24. OPINIONS
SELF
and the city
Daniel A. Bell
Avner De-Shalit
Urbanisation is blamed for a variety of modern social ills.
But, thanks to their unique identity, cities all around the world can help
KXPDQLWVXFFHVVIXOORYHUFRPHWKHPRVWGLɝFXOWFKDOOHQJHVRIRXUDJH
What is the big story of our age? It depends on the day,
EXW LI ZH FRXQW E FHQWXULHV WKHQ VXUHO KXPDQLWȇV XU-
banisation is a strong contender. Today, more than half
RIWKHZRUOGȇVSRSXODWLRQOLYHVLQFLWLHVFRPSDUHGWROHVV
than 3% in 1800. By 2025, China alone is expected to have
15 “mega-cities,” each with a population of at least 25 mil-lion.
Are social critics right to worry about the atomized
loneliness of big-city life?
True, cities cannot provide the rich sense of community
that often characterizes villages and small towns. But a
GLHUHQWIRUPRIFRPPXQLWHYROYHVLQFLWLHV3HRSOHRI-
ten take pride in their cities, and seek to nourish their dis-tinctive
civic cultures.
3ULGHLQRQHȇVFLWKDVDORQJKLVWRUΖQWKHDQFLHQWZRU-
OG$WKHQLDQVLGHQWLȴHGZLWKWKHLUFLWȇVGHPRFUDWLFHWKRV
ZKLOH 6SDUWDQV SULGHG WKHPVHOYHV RQ WKHLU FLWȇV UHSXWD-
WLRQIRUPLOLWDUGLVFLSOLQHDQGVWUHQJWK2IFRXUVHWRGDȇV
urban areas are huge, diverse, and pluralistic, so it may
seem strange to say that a modern city has an ethos that
LQIRUPVLWVUHVLGHQWVȇFROOHFWLYHOLIH
HW WKH GLHUHQFHV EHWZHHQ VD %HLMLQJ DQG -HUXVDOHP
suggest that cities do have such an ethos. Both are de-signed
with a core surrounded by concentric circles, but
-HUXVDOHPȇVFRUHH[SUHVVHVVSLULWXDOYDOXHVZKLOH%HLMLQJȇV
UHSUHVHQWVSROLWLFDOSRZHU$QGDFLWȇVHWKRVVKDSHVPRUH
WKDQ LWV OHDGHUV %HLMLQJ DWWUDFWV KLQDȇV OHDGLQJ SROLWLFDO
FULWLFV ZKLOH -HUXVDOHPȇV VRFLDO FULWLFV DUJXH IRU DQ LQWHU-
pretation of religion that holds people, rather than inani-mate
objects, sacred. In both cases, despite objections to
18 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
WKHUXOLQJLGHRORJȇVVSHFLȴFWHQHWVIHZUHMHFWWKHHWKRV
itself.
Or consider Montreal, whose residents must navigate
WKHFLWȇVWULFNOLQJXLVWLFSROLWLFV0RQWUHDOLVDUHODWLYHO
successful example of a city in which Anglophones and
Francophones both feel at home, but language debates
nonetheless dominate the political scene – and structure
DQHWKRVIRUWKHFLWȇVUHVLGHQWV
Hong Kong is a special case, where the capitalist way of
life is so central that it is enshrined in the constitution (the
Basic Law). Yet Hong Kong-style capitalism is not founded
simply on the pursuit of material gain. It is underpinned
by a Confucian ethic that prioritizes caring for others over
self-interest, which helps to explain why Hong Kong has
the highest rate of charitable giving in East Asia.
Paris, on the other hand, has a romantic ethos. But Pari-
VLDQVUHMHFW+ROOZRRGȇVEDQDOFRQFHSWRIORYHDVDVWRU
that ends happily ever after. Their idea of romance cen-ters
on its opposition to staid values and predictability of
bourgeois life.
In fact, many cities have distinctive identities of which
their residents are proud. Urban pride – what we call
“civicism” – is a key feature of our identities today. This
matters in part because cities with a clear ethos can bet-
WHU UHVLVW JOREDOL]DWLRQȇV KRPRJHQL]LQJ WHQGHQFLHV ΖW LV
worrying when countries proclaim their timeless and or-
JDQLF LGHDOV EXW DɝUPLQJ D FLWȇV SDUWLFXODULW FDQ EH D
sign of health.
26. OPINIONS
«The key for cities’ success?
High quality of life for all»
+RZZLOOFLWLHVORRNLQWKHIXWXUH+RZZLOOGLYHUVLWLPSDFWWKHLUGHYHORSPHQW
A conversation with 0DUFHO3UXQHUD co-founder of urban consultancy ΖPDFLW
The future of the global economy looks more and more knowledge-oriented: a cauldron of global and diverse multinationals
and startups where talent is the new main variable in competitiveness. Competition for investment has already been replaced by
competition for talent because, in the knowledge economy, investments follow inventions. In these conditions, cities, where the
most innovation happens, have to compete in creating, retaining and attracting talent, be them entrepreneurs, highly skilled or
creative people. The most successful a city is in establishing the right conditions to appeal to talents, the best it will thrive in the
world economy.
But how can cities develop the right mix of ingredients to become (or remain) successful? The New European discussed this issue
with Marcel Prunera Colomer, co-founder and Managing Partner of Imacity, a Barcelona-based consultancy company working in
social and economic urban development in cities and regions around the world.
Could you describe Imacity’s work?
Imacity is a consultancy company. We work for cities, governments, multilateral organisations, private foundations, or any kind
of organisation working for the general interest. In Imacity, we understand sustainable urban development as a complex process
which must guarantee progress, opportunities and an adequate standard of living for the greatest possible majority. Our focus
lies on cities development because they are the essential unit where development and growth happen and policies become
concrete. Interculturality, economic development, social innovation, are all basically coming up in cities.
In terms of content, we are focused on economic and intercultural development. We help in creating concepts and programs, we
evaluate policies, we design and assess projects and programs, and we also coordinate projects, as our main activities.
Imacity works at the international level and we have done projects in Europe – from Ireland to Azerbaijan – and in America – US,
Canada, Mexico and Colombia.
In today’s globalised economy, cities face the challenge of thriving or declining. Which are the
main ingredients for a successful, smart and innovative city?
ΖWLVGLɝFXOWWRSRLQWRXWRQORQHFOHDUȴWDOOUHFLSHΖWLVPRUHDFRPELQDWLRQRILQJUHGLHQWVVRPHRIZKRPDUHHFRQRPLFGQD-
mism, entrepreneurship, knowledge, intercultural wealth, globalised network, mobility, good social policies, balanced neighbou-
UKRRGVȐΖQGHHGGHȴQLQJVXFFHVVLVQRWHDVVRPHPLJKWFRQVLGHUHFRQRPLFDWWUDFWLYHQHVVDVRQHNHGULYHURIVXFFHVVRWKHUV
social balance, others quality of life, others still a mix of those three drivers.
Imacity is based on the belief that not only integrating diversity is fair, but that is also economical-
OVPDUWDQGSURȴWDEOH:KDWLVGLYHUVLWȇVHFRQRPLFDGYDQWDJH
We live in an increasingly complex world, and complexity is better accommodated through diversity. Especially entrepreneurship,
the base of any dynamic economy, develops mainly in diverse societies. Cultural diversity brings assets to work in a globalised
world. All successful cities – I would say even successful companies –, are diverse places: they host citizens of all kinds, students
and entrepreneurs from far away, which in turn brings lots of visitors and attracts talents.
ΖQGHHGWKLQNDERXWZKDWDUHWRGDȇVOHDGLQJHQWUHSUHQHXULDOFLWLHV6DQ)UDQFLVFR1HZRUNKLFDJR%RVWRQLQWKH86/RQGRQ
Berlin, Barcelona in Europe. They are all diverse or cosmopolitan cities, open to the world. Their added value is not only given by
the fact that being diverse attracts talent, but also that diversity begets entrepreneurship among citizens. In general terms, in all
cities immigrants represent a relevant percentage of their entrepreneurial dynamism.
20 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
28. WORLDVIEW
Foshan’s
4 SURPRISES
Andrew Cheng Xiao Geng
Fung Global Institute
The little known Foshan, China, is a perfect example of a city successfully growing
IURPDPDQXIDFWXULQJKXEWRDȊSDUDGLVHȋΖWVFDVHRHUVDGYLFHRQKRZDFWLYHDQG
well-managed cities can irradiate innovative forms of economic development.
Few people outside of China know Foshan, a city of seven
million located at the heart of the Pearl River Delta in sou-thern
China. But this vibrant and economically progressive
city – which Foreign Policy and the McKinsey Global Institute
UDQNHGODVWHDUDVWKHZRUOGȇVWKPRVWGQDPLFFLWEDVHG
on its projected GDP increase from 2010 to 2025 – embodies
KLQDȇVTXHVWIRUDKLJKYDOXHDGGHGKLJKLQFRPHHFRQRP
With this in mind, about two years ago, a team of researchers
(including us) launched a case study on Foshan. The city
VWRRG RXW EHFDXVH LWV H[SHULHQFH H[HPSOLȴHV KLQDȇV SUR-
gress over the last 35 years – as well as the structural challen-
JHVWKDWWKHFRXQWUQRZIDFHV2QHRIWKHȴUVWKLQHVHFLWLHV
WRLPSOHPHQWH[SHULPHQWDOHFRQRPLFUHIRUPV)RVKDQȴUVW
built itself up as a low-cost manufacturing center, and is now
working to become a knowledge-based, innovation-driven
economic powerhouse.
7KHFDVHVWXGȇVVXFFHVVGHSHQGHGRQFULWLFDOSDUWQHUVKLSV
A team of 24 researchers from the National Development
and Reform Commission shared their extensive knowledge
RIKLQDȇVH[SHULHQFHVDQGSROLFLHV$QGORFDOH[SHUWVIDFLOL-
WDWHGWKHH[DPLQDWLRQRIDVSHFWVRI)RVKDQȇVJURZWKRYHU
the last 35 years: industry, land, transport, electricity, water,
ȴQDQFHHPSORPHQWJRYHUQDQFHSODQQLQJSXEOLFȴQDQFH
education, housing, health care, and pensions.
This micro-institutional study of macro outcomes produced
four surprises.
7KHȴUVWZDV)RVKDQȇVHFRQRPLFSHUIRUPDQFH7KHFLWȇVSHU
capita GDP reached $14.828 in 2012 – higher than Shan-
JKDLRU%HLMLQJDQGZHOOZLWKLQWKH:RUOG%DQNȇVȊKLJKLQFR-
me” category. Real-estate value per capita reached almost
$50,000 in 2010 – more than four times per capita GDP that
HDUȂRZLQJODUJHOWRVRDULQJSURSHUWSULFHV$QG)RVKDQȇV
22 | Autumn 2014 | THE NEW (8523($1ȏΖ668(
urbanization rate, supported by high-quality infrastructure
and an advanced industrial sector, reached 94%.
Of course, Foshan is not the only such success story in Chi-na.
Of 287 Chinese cities, 17 have populations of more than
three million, with per capita GDP exceeding $12.000. To-
JHWKHU WKHVH FLWLHV DFFRXQW IRU RI KLQDȇV WRWDO SRSX-
lation and 30% of its GDP. While all of them hold important
lessons for China as it attempts to avoid the middle-income
WUDS)RVKDQȇVH[SHULHQFHRHUVSDUWLFXODUOXVHIXOLQVLJKWV
This is because of the second surprise: beyond slightly easier
access to international markets – a result of its proximity to
+RQJ.RQJDQGKLVWRURIPXQLFLSDOOHYHOUHIRUPȂ)RVKDQȇV
success does not depend on some unique advantage. Thus,
WKHPDLQFRPSRQHQWVRI)RVKDQȇVHVFDSHIURPSRYHUWFDQ
be replicated in other Chinese cities. These include:
- Private-sector-led growth. The private sector contributed
RI)RVKDQȇV*'3LQZLWKRQHSULYDWHHQWHUSULVHIRU
every 20 residents.
- Production for domestic marketV )RVKDQȇV QHW H[SRUWV
GHFOLQHG IURP RI *'3 LQ WR LQ UHȵHF-
ting a much earlier shift to domestic markets than occurred
in other Chinese manufacturing cities like Wenzhou (25% of
GDP), Dongguan (32%), and Shenzhen (37%).
- Globally connected, specialised markets. Foshan has
more than 30 specialized market towns with sophisticated
industrial clusters and local supply chains linked to interna-tional
markets.
- High-quality migrant labour. 0RUH WKDQ KDOI RI )RVKDQȇV
population and two-thirds of its workforce are migrants,
who have access to the same social services as locals, owing
33. SOLUTIONS
Towards
intercultural cities
Irena Guidikova
Council of Europe
The evolution of European society begins from a new paradigm.
Through the intercultural approach, European cities are increasingly becoming
QHZODERUDWRULHVIRUHHFWLYHLQQRYDWLYHDQGIDLUIRUPVRILQWHJUDWLRQ
Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 27
The rate of international migration dramatically changes
the cultural make-up of cities and societies across the wor-ld.
While there are certain costs associated with accommo-
GDWLQJPLJUDQWVWKHRYHUDOOFRVWEHQHȴWEDODQFHRIPLJUD-
tion is positive, at least in developed countries. However,
the rapid rate and large scope of migration and xenophobic
political discourse fuel identity fears and threaten the cohe-sion
and stability of societies. Since stopping migration is
not an option – nor is it an explicit goal – for most deve-
ORSHG FRXQWULHV HHFWLYH LQFOXVLRQ DQG GLYHUVLW PDQDJH-
ment strategies become essential.
In the past, migrant integration policies have not been sys-tematically
accompanied by diversity management policies
– in a way, the “hardware” of integration was expected to
work without an adequate software. Migrants were either
expected to stay at the margins of society, as guest-wor-kers,
and then leave, or blend in with the rest of society
and leave their cultural baggage behind (in assimilation
approaches). Multiculturalism was an attempt to reconcile
cultural freedom of minorities with equal access to politi-cal
and social rights – but without taking into account the
need to address the fears and needs of the host commu-nity,
avoid ghettoisation, maintain the integrity of the social
fabric and build trust between locals and newcomers.
In the words of Canadian philosopher Will Kymlicka, under
multiculturalism «the cultures of non-dominant minority
groups are accorded the same recognition and accommo-dation
that are accorded to the culture of the dominant
JURXS}7KHUHDUHVLJQLȴFDQWGLHUHQFHVLQWKHZDWKLVJH-
QHUDOSDUDGLJPLVDSSOLHGLQGLHUHQWFRXQWULHVZLWKVRPH
countries operating constitutional multiculturalism with
legal protection of minorities. In some cases, multicultu-ralism
adopts structural policies to tackle inequalities and
discrimination of minorities.
Integration policies have achieved much in terms of nominal
PLJUDQWVȇVRFLDOULJKWVHPSORPHQWDQGLQVRPHFRXQWULHV
civic rights – even though real access to rights may be pro-blematic
for many. To simplify, the assumption behind these
policies has been that migrants are fundamentally either
vulnerable groups that need to be protected or enabled, or
a potential threat to public order. Interculturalism adopts
many aspects of multiculturalism, from the celebration of
diversity to the emphasis on integration and social inclusion.
But it places a strong emphasis on intercultural dialogue
and interaction, fostering a sense of common purpose and
cohesion, unlike multiculturalism which has been accused of
nourishing cultural divides and isolation.
Interculturalism has been most authoritatively conceptua-lised
by the 2008 Council of Europe White Paper on Inter-cultural
Dialogue. “It proposes a conception based on in-dividual
human dignity (embracing our common humanity
and common destiny). If there is a European identity to be
realised, it will be based on shared fundamental values, res-pect
for common heritage and cultural diversity as well as
respect for the equal dignity of every individual. Intercultu-ral
dialogue has an important role to play in this regard. It
allows us to prevent ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural
divides. It enables us to move forward together, to deal with
RXUGLHUHQWLGHQWLWLHVFRQVWUXFWLYHODQGGHPRFUDWLFDOORQ
the basis of shared universal values.”
These principles and values have been operationalised at
the local policy level by the ground-breaking Intercultural ci-ties
programme which developed and helped apply in over
60 cities a policy paradigm based on the notion of “diversity
DGYDQWDJHȋ 7KH QRWLRQ ȴUVW PHQWLRQHG LQ WKLV FRQWH[W E
Phil Wood and Charles Landry, refers to the principle that
PLJUDQWVVKRXOGEHUHJDUGHGȴUVWDQGIRUHPRVWDVSHRSOH
35. SOLUTIONS
Ζ668(ȏ7+(NEW EUROPEAN | Autumn 2014 | 29
The key aspects of the intercultural approach to education
are: the mixing of pupils from diverse backgrounds com-bined
with educational activities to enhance contacts, mu-tual
understanding and recognition of diversity as an asset;
the employment of teachers with diverse backgrounds to
enhance both cultural sensitivity and provide role models;
intercultural competence training of teachers; close links
and interaction between the school and the diverse local
community – involving migrant parents as partners in the
educational process.
Take, for example, the Netherlands. The Dutch system of
schooling is quite distinctive since schools are established
as the initiative of private individuals or groups rather than
WKH 6WDWHȇV $ FULWLFDO PRPHQW LQ 'XWFK FKLOGUHQȇV VFKRRO
educational experience is the transition from primary to
secondary school. Many migrant children experience pro-
EOHPVLQWKHȴUVWWZRHDUVRIVHFRQGDUVFKRROZLWKDKLJK
risk of drop out. In one of the impulse neighbourhoods –
a scheme established in Tilburg to support districts with a
high concentration of poverty and unemployment, which
are usually ethnically diverse, a Community School was
created with primary and secondary school in the same
building, and with special attention paid to pupils from 10
to 14: every Sunday, extra lessons are given to migrant
FKLOGUHQIDFLQJHGXFDWLRQDOGLɝFXOWLHV/HVVRQVWDNHSODFH
in the premises of Tilburg University which encourages
children to aspire to get a university degree. Creative acti-
YLWLHVDUHDOVRRQRHUDVDPHDQVWRVWLPXODWHVRFLDELOLW
and communication. A special team searches for trainee
posts for migrants since, in the Dutch system, no access to
traineeships seriously compromises school graduation and
job prospects.
$QRWKHU VFKRRO LQ 7LOEXUJȇV 6WRNKDVVHOW QHLJKERXUKRRG Ȃ
called Rainbow school – has more than 70% of its pupils
coming from a visible ethnic minority background. Stokhas-selt
is the home to over 70 nationalities and most are repre-sented
amongst its 200 pupils. The largest minority groups
are from Somalia, Turkey, Morocco and Sierra Leone. The
GLVWULFWKDVZLWQHVVHGZKLWHȵLJKWEWKHSUHYLRXVOHVWDEOL-
shed working class families, to other parts of the city.
Rainbow dispels the stereotype that schools with high pro-
SRUWLRQRIPLJUDQWFKLOGUHQVFKRROVDUHRIORZTXDOLW2ɝ-
cial inspections have declared it to be of an excellent stan-dard
and one of the best performing schools in the south
of the Netherlands. This success is the result of bold lea-dership
with strong ethical standards, a vision and a highly
motivated teaching community. On the basis of its multi-lingual
pupil intake, the school received an extra subsidy,
ZKLFKDOORZVLWWRRHUDWHDFKHUSXSLOUDWLRRIDERXW
which evidently produces results. The headmaster prefers
WRFDOOWKHVFKRROȆFRORXUIXODQGH[FHOOHQWȇUDWKHUWKDQWKH
GHURJDWRU ȆEODFNȇ 7KH LQMHFWLRQ RI DGGLWLRQDO PHDQV LQ
addition to recruiting experienced headmasters and tea-chers,
have been keys to helping diverse schools in poor
neighbourhoods achieve excellence in other countries too,
such as Norway, Sweden and Portugal. The ‘Educate to-
JHWKHUȇ VFKRROV LQ ΖUHODQG DUH D EROG H[DPSOH RI KRZ DQ
open, dynamic, modern educational philosophy, and a pro-vision
for constant learning exchanges between teachers,
can deliver excellent results in culturally diverse schools.
Interestingly, Rainbow and another school (-all Muslim),
share the same roof. Originally, it had been hoped that
the two schools might integrate their curricular activity but
compromise has not been possible. Now, they coexist and
share some common facilities such as a gymnasium and
a playground. Recent reports show that growth in Muslim
schools in Tilburg has now reversed, following a series of
bad inspectorate reports on the quality of teaching, and
many Muslim parents are now turning back to mainstream
schools.
7KLV VFKRROȇV SULQFLSOHV DUH FXOWLYDWLQJ WUXVW EHWZHHQ WHD-
chers and parents as partners and learning to learn to-gether
and placing the student at the centre of a process
including the family and the wider community, understan-
GLQJWKDWWKHFKLOGȇVHGXFDWLRQFDQQRWEHXQGHUVWRRGZLW-
KRXWUHIHUHQFHWRWKHZLGHULQȵXHQFHVXSRQLW
Successful culturally diverse schools share many common
features and principles, but do not necessarily apply the
same methods. For instance in an ethnically-mixed school
in the Groenewoud district in the Netherlands, the head-master
made it a matter of policy not to display any mate-rial
or to teach anything referring to the countries of origin
of the children. This was regarded as an impediment to
integration in Dutch society. The headmaster of Rainbow
WRRNDYHUGLHUHQWYLHZDQGEHOLHYHGLWZDVHVVHQWLDOIRU
kids to retain their knowledge of parental culture as part
of a rounded education. A successful school in Oslo is also
XVLQJDUWZRUNDQGRWKHUDUWHIDFWVIURPDUDQJHRIGLHUHQW
countries in order to acknowledge the diverse origins of its
pupils and mark its inclusive identity.
The inclusive approach in education has paid dividends in
another aspiring intercultural area, the Neukölln district
LQ %HUOLQ ΖQ $SULO 1HXN¸OOQȇV GLVWULFW DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ
was alerted that a rapidly increasing number of children of
5RPDQLDQ RU %XOJDULDQ RULJLQV ȵRFNHG DUULYHG LQ WKH ORFDO
schools. The number was increasing with more than new 20
children each month. Besides not speaking German, these
children had a weak preparedness for school and were
WKHUHIRUHQRWDEOHWRIXOȴOPLQLPXPUHTXLUHPHQWVVXFKDV
sitting quiet on a chair for 45 minutes. In response to the
WHDFKHUVȇUHTXHVWIRUKHOSWKHGLVWULFWDGPLQLVWUDWLRQKLUHG
Romanian-speaking teachers in order to support the schools
and facilitate communication. It was also evident that Roma-nian
parents simply did not know that they were eligible to
send their children to school. The right of every child to at-tend
school was considered particularly important in order
to prevent educational alienation. While between 2011 and
2014 the number of children doubled from 550 children to
more than 1000, there were still many families that did not
know about the right of formal education for their children.
These families are now being supported through special
programmes, such as summer schools held for two weeks
EHIRUHWKHRɝFLDOVFKRROHDUVWDUWV7KHVHVXPPHUVFKRROV
give children the chance to get used to the new structures of
VFKRROOLIH$WWKHȴUVWVXPPHUVFKRROWKUHHNLGVDWWHQGHG
WKHȴUVWGD2QHZHHNODWHUFKLOGUHQSDUWLFLSDWHG7RGD
many parents keep on asking about possibilities to partici-pate
in the next summer school.