About the Initiative

The movement of people—whether it be the flight of Rohingya refugees, Americans relocating in search of affordable living, Kenyan families displaced internally by flooding, or the flow of high-skilled workers to Germany—poses both urgent challenges and remarkable opportunities within and across national borders. As of 2020, roughly 281 million people, approximately 3.6 percent of the global population, live outside their country of birth; an additional 55 million are internally displaced due to conflict, natural disasters, and economic instability. Hundreds of millions of others move within their country of origin seeking opportunities.

While evidence shows that migration can stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, strengthen communities, and enrich cultural landscapes, it also uncovers deep-rooted inequalities and tensions between long-term benefits and immediate challenges faced by local governments.

In this context, we see the movement of people not as a crisis to solve but as a feature of modern human life that requires innovative management to help both newcomers and long-time residents to thrive. We aim to collaboratively develop new models of effective, forward-thinking management by reimagining frameworks and using shared insights and evidence to create practical solutions.

Municipalities are at the forefront of managing both the challenges and opportunities created by the movement of people. While local governments do not have the same powers as nation-states to establish broad legal frameworks, they play a crucial role in responding to the direct effects of population inflows and outflows — including housing, public safety, labor markets, healthcare, schools, and community cohesion.

Taking a broad view of local governance that includes various local actors – such as the private sector, civic organizations, and schools – highlights the vital role of cities in managing and shaping changing populations within their communities. Many cities are actively implementing policies to leverage these benefits and address related challenges. However, municipalities worldwide would benefit from more and improved evidence, tools, frameworks, and an evidence-to-action ecosystem to successfully manage integration

Flourishing Cities Initiative: Practical Solutions for a World on the Move brings together community partners, researchers, municipal leaders, and policymakers to create scalable, evidence-based solutions that help both newcomers and longtime residents succeed together in cities worldwide. We aim to create a shared vision and develop innovative models grounded in evidence that equip cities with the tools and insights they need to address challenges and capitalize on opportunities related to the movement of people.