Forging urban diversity regimes: A combined approach to immigrant policymaking and governance in Mannheim

Abstract

As migration continues to shape urban societies, how cities deal with migration-based heterogeneity has become a salient issue. Much literature addressing immigrant policymaking has focused on current policy ideas and the different actors they involve; literature on urban governance has highlighted the role of collaboration between state and civil society actors. To date, however, limited research has taken a combined approach to see how municipalities forge collaboration with civil society in pursuit of (novel) policy ideas. The article draws on and combines immigrant policymaking, urban governance and urban regime literatures. It presents Mannheim as a heuristic case which shows how the city's immigrant policymaking reflects a combination of a shift towards 'diversity' as policy idea and discourse and long-term collaboration in policymaking. Positing the emergence of an “urban diversity regime” in Mannheim, the article reflects on the opportunities this heuristic notion presents for existing literature and for future research.