The State of the World's Cities, 2004/2005: Globalization and Urban Culture.

• Author: Osanjo, Tom
• Position: The Chronicle Library Shelf - Book Review

The State of the World's Cities, 2004/2005

Globalization and Urban Culture

Published by UN-Habitat/Earthscan, 2004 198 pp., ISBN 1-84407-160-X

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) on 14 September 2004 launched The State of the World's Cities 2004/2005. Focusing on globalization and urban culture, the report lauds multiculturalism as an urban phenomenon that should be celebrated, not feared, as it enhances the fabric of societies and brings colour and vibrancy to every city it touches. The report shows that there are approximately 175 million documented international migrants worldwide. The flow of humanity into the cities is fuelling a new multiculturalism that has the potential to broaden their cultural and ethnic dimensions. However, it notes, some cities have been unable to cope with multiculturalism, which has generated increasing xenophobia and ethnic tensions. It therefore calls on local governments to help create harmonious and inclusive multicultural cities by combating xenophobic ideologies and anti-immigration policies.

According to World's Cities, the more developed economies attract most of the international migrants (77 million), followed by the economies in transition of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics (33 million), Asia and the Pacific (23 million), and the Middle East and North Africa (21 million). In many cities, lack of affordable housing and discriminatory practices force newcomers to live spatially segregated lives in ghettos, where they suffer labour exploitation, social exclusion and violence. This is unfortunate, says the report, because immigrants make important economic contributions not only to the urban economies of the host countries but also to the countries they leave behind. Remittances back home are second only to oil in terms of international monetary flows, providing an important and reliable source of foreign exchange finance. In 2003, for example, Indian diaspora sent back $15 billion, exceeding the revenues generated by the country's software industry.

In his foreword, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that policy makers need to plan for "cities of difference", which are open to all and exclude none, and are able to capitalize on the benefits of a multicultural existence. This requires the engagement of all non-governmental and community stakeholders on the basis of legislation that guarantees the rights of citizens to the city and judicial systems that enforce...