Migration and social cohesion in the urban context : the case of Beijing and Brussels.

In this exploratory research, we are focusing on two international cities, Brussels and Beijing. The two cities, notwithstanding the differences, share some common grounds. Both are capitals of a great geographical entity, resp. Belgium/EU and China. Given their strategic location, its political power, the opportunity structures at the formal and informal level, both cities have attracted migrants from a wide range of countries/regions, from different professional and educational background and embracing different aspirations. In this exploratory research we first collect existing data (such as the size, the division by nationality/ethnicity, the country of origin, the man/woman distribution, etc.) and analyses of these migrants in the two settings. Second, we critically assess the existing data and analyses. Third we look at national and local policies fostering integration of immigrants and the social cohesion of the neighbourhood or the lack thereof.

Keywords:Migration, Interculturalisation, Social cohesion

Disciplines:Applied sociology, Anthropology, Economic geography, Human geography, Recreation, leisure and tourism geography, Urban and regional geography, Other social and economic geography