The International Metropolis Project (www.metropolis.net) is a forum for bridging research, policy and practice on migration and diversity. The Project aims to enhance academic research capacity, encourage policy-relevant research on migration and diversity issues, and facilitate the use of that research by governments and non-governmental organizations.

The 16th International Metropolis Conference will see Metropolis continue to expand its interests and its geographical reach. During the previous 15 Metropolis Conferences, the network has concentrated on the management of migration and population diversity from the perspective primarily of the societies of destination. On the Azores Islands, the participants have the opportunity to learn how countries of origin conceive of the emigration of their people and the practical steps they take to maintain a unity of their people and their cultures across vast distances. This perspective will serve as a starting point for the conference to look closely at how societies of origin more generally think about their expatriate populations, retain their interest in and allegiances to their homeland, and the growing rates of return migration to those homelands that are experiencing rapid economic and social development. The Metropolis Conference will also continue the examination of the impacts of migration and diversity on societies of destination by looking at demographic objectives behind migration policies and at managing high levels of diversity within cities.

More information