Adapting Cities for Mediterranean Migration Influxes: The Arrival City

Abstract

Migration was and still is one of the main topics repeated continuously throughout history and studied by scientific communities. Yet, studies have been lacking the relation between migration and the urban fabric of a city, either in terms of preparedness or as an impact. Migration should not be seen entirely as a socio-economic issue; the pressure this creates on land resources and its impact on the urban fabric needs to be as well taken into consideration. In the scope of migration, one would always find two types of cities; departure cities where the efflux arises and arrival cities receiving the influxes. Certainly, both types of cities are positively and negatively affected by migrations. In the Mediterranean basin, the origin of so many cultures based on the mobility of their inhabitants, the current socio-economic and political instability in the MENA region, contributed to a massive influx of migrants to European cities for many reasons including, but not limited to, its proximity and the relatively high livelihood quality. This particular phenomenon obliges us to question the time-being used methods to deal with the present extensive influxes and to rethink new city planning approaches towards a resilient Arrival city. This paper demonstrates the case of European Arrival cities; definitions, characteristics, as well as the urban, socio-economic and political adaptations for the current overflowed migration influxes. The demonstration and discussion should be primarily seen as a catalyst that does not only promote for a healthier absorption in choked cities impacted by migrations but intensify the vital role of states, urban planning and resilience in shaping satisfactory conditions for fruitful development impacts of migrations to exist in such cities.