[SCHEDULE OF EVENTS]


[LINKS]

[PAST EVENTS]


[RELATED EVENTS]

Public ConversatioN Series 2006

Globalizing Philadelphia :
Becoming an Immigrant METROPOLIS

Greater Philadelphia has become a significant center of immigration. Africans, Latin Americans, Eastern Europeans, and South and Southeast Asians are changing the face of countless urban, suburban, and rural sections of the Delaware Valley . This series of public conversations explores the challenges, opportunities, and experiences of immigrants, civic institutions, and communities throughout the city and region.

For most of the past century, Philadelphia attracted relatively few immigrants. In 1904, Lincoln Steffens labeled it “ the most American of our greater cities,” with a lower proportion of foreign- born residents than any other large city in the United States . As the region’s industrial economy crashed in the second half of the twentieth century, the city offered little as an immigrant destination. Immigrants to the U.S. chose to settle elsewhere, in New York , Los Angeles , Chicago , and Miami , where available jobs and pre-existing migrant communities made settlement more attractive.

But as the twentieth century came to a close, the service economy created new jobs for immigrants, from restaurants and landscaping to computer programming. Foreign-born workers account for all the recent job growth in Pennsylvania and New Jersey . Policy makers in Philadelphia point to immigration as a way to re-grow a city that has lost one third of its population in the last fifty years. Local organizations are working to facilitate settlement, employment and entrepreneurship, and community building.

What does immigration mean for urban policy, planning, and civil society? How does the arrival of new Philadelphians affect ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty and stimulate neighborhood development? What does it mean for our schools and public services? What are the implications for race relations in a minority-majority city? This series explores these and other issues.

Speakers include immigrants sharing their experiences; representatives from service organizations, government agencies, and community activists working with immigrants; and scholars studying immigration and its effects on the city and region.

All events are free and open to the public. All events except the bus tour are hosted by undergraduate and graduate classes, integrating the civic and educational missions of the Urban Studies Program. Questions and directions – call: 215-898-7799.