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Digital Urban Governance in an Era of AI

By Gülşen Doğan, MiReKoc, Koç University, Istanbul Cities worldwide are rapidly changing due to urban growth and economic shifts. Digital tools are now central to local governance. These technologies improve public service efficiency and foster citizen-government interactions. They promote decentralized control and collaborative policymaking, enhancing civic engagement. Nonetheless, this change prompts critical questions about democracy...

Navigating Informal Arrangements in Migration Governance in Urban Areas

By Joshua Soriano Fernández, Master’s Student in Democracies, Nationalism, Federalism, and Multiculturalism, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain IntroductionMigration governance in cities presents a significant challenge. National policies often fail to address thespecific needs of urban migrant populations, forcing local governments to navigate the complexities ofmigration without formal mechanisms in place. In response, many cities rely...

The Contemporary Sudanese Refugee and Migrant Experience in Urban Cairo

By Khaled Ibrahim, MiReKoc Summer School ‘24 Alumni The ongoing civil war in Sudan has thus far led over 1.2 million* (official UNHCR number as of September 30th, was 500,000 at the time of writing of the paper) people to seek refuge in bordering Egypt. To the average North Sudanese, this is a logical decision,...

The Future of Cities: How to Apply Migration Lens to the City Governance

By Gülşen Doğan, PhD Researcher, Migration Research Center at Koç University (MiReKoc) Cities benefit from migration, as individuals relocating bring various perspectives, expertise, and cultural diversity, greatly enhancing urban life’s social, economic, and political structure. However, many migrants often encounter marginalization and exclusion, preventing them from fully engaging in urban activities. This marginalization not only...

Bridging Migration and Urban Studies with Prof. Ricard Zapata-Barrero: An Interview Exploring the Local Turn, Urban Resilience, Regional Cities, and Urban Memories

By Pelin Kılınçarslan, Postdoctoral Researcher, Migration Research Center at Koç University (MiReKoc) Thanks to Oğuzhan Açıkgöz for providing technical support “If there is so much evidence that cities are built by migrants and that we can say that most of the city’s population are migrant populations, and if we consider this from a generational point...

Interview with Dr. Janina Stürner-Siovitz about Creating Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to Address Urban Migration and Displacement in African Intermediary Cities

By Oğuzhan Açıkgöz, Law Student at Koc Law School, Koç University, Istanbul Dr. Janina Stürner-Siovitz introduced the Equal Partnerships Policy Paper during the 14th Global Forum on Migration and Development. The policy paper focuses on the growing challenges and opportunities related to migration and displacement faced by local governments in African intermediary cities. These cities are...
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