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October 2008
Geography Professors Map Urban Immigrant Gateways
By Julia Parmley Intrigued by this trend, the professors organized a three-day workshop focusing on global cities as immigrant gateways. Held at GW in January 2006 with sponsorship from the University’s Center for the Study of Globalization, the workshop drew scholars and policy experts from around the globe; its results became the book Migrants to the Metropolis: The Rise of Immigrant Gateway Cities, a collection of 13 essays published earlier this year examining urban migration worldwide. “The effect of migration on global cities is a cutting-edge topic,” says Dr. Benton-Short, associate professor of geography. “We are providing a unique angle on how immigration is changing cities around the world.” In their book, Drs. Price and Benton-Short explore the reasons behind mass movements to and between global cities, or “gateways.” They separate urban areas into three categories: “established” gateway cities, such as Toronto and Sydney, where the percentage of foreign-born residents is well above each country’s national average; “emerging” gateway cities, such as Washington, D.C., and Dublin, which have recently experienced rises in immigration; and “exceptional” gateway cities, including Tel Aviv and Seoul, which have small immigration populations despite being major metropolitan areas. Drs. Price and Benton-Short also identified 10 themes that “unite and divide” the cities, including issues of identity and integration and the effects of immigration on local economies. “Most cities that experience economic growth see immigrants as an important element in their success,” says Dr. Benton-Short. “In these cities, there is a sense that residents view immigration as the wave of the future. The question that remains for many is how they deal with the challenges.” Immigrants have been welcomed in many gateway cities, such as Birmingham, England. Dr. Benton-Short says the city is very accommodating of its South Asian and East Asian residents and has even promoted the Birmingham balti, a spicy curry dish that was introduced by the city’s large Kashmiri population. Today, the city advertises its balti restaurants and stores to attract tourists. But Dr. Price says intolerance of immigrants can turn the cities into “places of violent confrontation,” citing the anti-immigration riots in Paris and Johannesburg as examples. A frequent challenge for local and national governments is responding to these kinds of anti-immigrant backlashes, says Dr. Price, who chairs GW’s Department of Geography. She and Dr. Benton-Short argue that, while necessary, national immigration legislation is not enough. Local policies greatly influence the success or failure of immigrant integration. For example, in metropolitan Washington, community leaders have organized forums for dialogue between people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds. Drs. Price and Benton-Short plan to investigate why immigrants choose to move to certain cities and how their presence changes the cities’ ethnic compositions. They also have developed a Web site, titled Globalization Urbanization Migration, or GUM, that includes immigration data for more than 150 metropolitan areas (www.gstudynet.com/gum). Dr. Price has traveled to Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Dubai to examine these cities’ experiences with immigration firsthand, and the pair hopes to receive external funding to travel to other gateway cities. “We are examining cities where immigrant populations are dynamic and how they are dealing with it,” says Dr. Benton-Short. “We are trying to shift the debate about immigration from the national level to the local and urban level, where the reality of immigration is played out in the streets, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods.”
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