Migration, Transformation and Sustainability

This research integrates comprehensive insights on migration into theories of transformation to sustainability. There is unprecedented concern over involuntary migration globally affecting insecurity and human rights. But both domestic and international migration has enormous transformative potential for individuals and societies. Transformation theories assume static populations and fail to recognize both positive and negative impacts of the movement of people. This gap limits explanations and intervention strategies for sustainability. The objective is therefore to use theory and rigorous empirical research to expand knowledge of transformations to sustainability by incorporating migration dynamics. These specifically include: the impact of aggregate flows of people on sustainability; the individual lifecourse dimensions of sustainability; and the governance of migration and sustainability. The research will develop a comprehensive migration-sustainability model, and develop insights on sustainability strategies at local, national and international scales. It will build global capacity of social science to explain and engage with migration dimensions of transformations to sustainability. The interdisciplinary social-science led consortium from Europe, North America, Asia and Africa builds on on-going methodological innovation and deep collaboration. The research design involves modelling, observations and action research at global scales and in research sites representing the full range of so-called migration transitions. The outcome will be co-designed advances in theory and salient and workable sustainability strategies reflecting real world migration dynamics.

Beneficiaries and target audiences
Impact will be achieved through co-design of approaches and methods, workshops with policy makers and practitioners, development of creative science communication to engage with multiple community actors.

1 Migrant populations in localities researched New populations will benefit in the long term by having their life chances enhanced by changes that will recognise their contribution and potential for implementing sustainable development in the city. In the short-term they will benefit by having their perspectives recognised and be empowered through the participatory methods, such as photo elicitation, to engage with planners and policymakers. Migrant populations will be recruited into the research process in the six localities, including through photo elicitation techniques and will participate directly with urban planners in recognising the others' perspectives. Hence the activities will benefit migrant populations by building empathy between planners and migrant populations. Raising the issue of wellbeing of the migrants at the policy level could to enhance their integration into sustainability initiatives in urban locations.

2. City planners in six localities will benefit in the short term by having new information on critical social processes that are a potential resource for the implementation of sustainability and building resilience of the cities. The information will include mechanisms of social exclusion and marginalisation that city planners and health services may have some leverage over. They will benefit by co-designing and participating from the outset in activities that seek to build empathy and help them take perspectives of hidden populations. Through ensuring their participation in dissemination workshops, new knowledge generated will be transferred through academic as well as policy and practice routes. The research will uncover experiences of migrant populations through co-production between researchers, migrants and planners. The project will engage with city authorities who will be co-creating research over the course of the project and with knowledge brokers such as UN Habitat.

3 Government agencies engaged in research will benefit through the example of the six localities in their countries on the role and potential for migrant communities to engage and participate in planning for sustainability in all cities. They will benefit in the long term through increased social cohesion and security in urban centres and through exposure to national and global networks on urban resilience and human security. The project will produce policy recommendations for a better integration of migration in sustainability policies that will be of direct interest for local policy-makers.
4. International development stakeholders include the International Organization for Migration and organisations focussed on SDGs on urban areas and health. How will they benefit? The project results will be of direct interest for the work of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, a new international organisation tasked with the implementation of the Nansen Protection Agenda, which seeks to foster the protection of rights of people displaced by disasters. It will also feed into the work programme of the Task Forced on Displacement established within the framework of Warsaw International Mechanism of UNFCCC.

These stakeholders and agencies will benefit in the long term from new perspectives on the sustainability of cities through minimising social exclusion and conflict with migrant communities. These new insights will be communicated to key stakeholders through the planned policy briefs, and participation in key policy forums. The research team also seek to engage with civil society actors and advocates such as the Mary Robinson Climate Justice Foundation and seek ways to share the research and empathy building processes with their knowledge networks.