lectures

Welcoming Cities, Arrival Infrastructure: Introductory panel

Oxford University

October 30

Event linkcalender

Chair:

  • Gökçe Yurdakul, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Panellists:

  • Jacqui Broadhead, University of Oxford
  • Nihad El-Kayed, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
  • Julie Kashirahamwe, Liverpool City Council
  • Linda Hyökki, European Coalition of Cities Against Racism

What does it mean for a place to be welcoming? Cities, in particular, as sites of migration and arrival, are often focal points for integration. In some cases, they are seen as places where national-level hostility to migration might be replaced by a welcoming approach, with some cities adopting proactive sanctuary or welcome policies. If migration governance is understood predominantly as a national government competence, then welcoming is predominantly oriented at the local level. How do these levels of government interact, and how can we know this multi-level governance of migration and welcoming?

More broadly, how does this work function in practice? Should it be best considered through an integration lens, focusing on access to the labour market, education and social networks, or through a more spatial approach, focusing on the role of arrival infrastructure in supporting newcomer communities through social infrastructure and the built environment (Wessendorf, 2024). Is the role of the state (at the national or local level) central, or should we instead focus on grassroots urban solidarity movements that have inspired new practices in urban citizenship (Humphris, 2025).

Cities are not homogeneous and are not uniformly proactive, as they face different challenges and levels of demographic change. How do cities understand their role in welcoming, and how do Mayors and other actors define their leadership and convening roles?

This introductory panel aims to tackle these questions of welcoming, arrival, integration and inclusion in cities, examining them from both a municipal and civic perspective, with a focus on the UK and Germany.