Conceptualizing the Plurality of Urban Diversities

Abstract

A systematic approach towards capturing and understanding the variation of urban diversities, requires a careful conceptualization of urban diversities. In migration studies there has been a growing interest for the ‘local dimension’ of migration-related diversities (Borkert & Caponio, 2010). In this book we develop the thesis that this local dimension brings a plurality of urban diversities. However, in order to capture this plurality, we need a proper understanding of relevant dimensions on which urban diversities can vary. Often, urban diversities are described in terms of different degrees of diversity, such as in terms of ‘minority’ cities with significant migrant groups or ‘majority-minority’ cities where the majority of a city has a migration background (Crul, 2016). Or it is described in terms of spatial unevenness of distribution of people with and without a migration background, or ‘segregation’.