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Negotiating “Left‐Behindness” and Migration‐Related Diversity in (New) Arrival Spaces

Author

Listed:
  • Hannah Brill

    (Research Institute for Regional and Urban Studies, Germany)

  • Norma Schemschat

    (Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück University, Germany)

  • Heike Hanhörster

    (Institute of Urban and Regional Planning, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany)

  • Nils Hans

    (Research Institute for Regional and Urban Studies, Germany)

  • Lara Hartig

    (Institute of Urban and Regional Planning, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany)

  • Isabel Ramos Lobato

    (Research Institute for Regional and Urban Studies, Germany)

Abstract

Places “left behind” often face socio‐economic downturn, demographic decline, and marginalisation resulting from uneven development. Yet these places are no longer only points of departure; they increasingly function as arrival areas for international migrants. Building on growing work on migrant settlement patterns away from large cities, this article investigates arrival neighbourhoods across Germany through the lens of “left‐behindness." Based on 90 interviews from eight German neighbourhoods, we analyse how “left‐behindness” shapes and intersects with migrant arrival in everyday life and local governance. Using “left‐behindness” as an analytical lens, we explore three interconnected arenas: (1) managing arrival under conditions of scarcity, (2) making sense of place through interpretations of migration and decline, and (3) everyday coexistence and contestation. We show how structural constraints, symbolic representations, and social dynamics reinforce each other, shaping both challenges and possibilities of arrival. The article argues that “left‐behindness” is best understood not as a spatial category but as a relational and processual condition highlighting uneven development and how challenges of migration‐related diversity are locally negotiated and contested.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Brill & Norma Schemschat & Heike Hanhörster & Nils Hans & Lara Hartig & Isabel Ramos Lobato, 2026. "Negotiating “Left‐Behindness” and Migration‐Related Diversity in (New) Arrival Spaces," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 11.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v11:y:2026:a:11159
    DOI: 10.17645/up.11159
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hanhorster, Heike & Wessendorf, Susanne, 2020. "The role of arrival areas for migrant integration and resource access," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 105234, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Heike Hanhörster & Susanne Wessendorf, 2020. "The Role of Arrival Areas for Migrant Integration and Resource Access," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(3), pages 1-10.
    3. Fabian Habersack & Carsten Wegscheider, 2024. "Left Behind Economically or Politically? Economic Grievances, Representation, and Populist Attitudes," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    4. Heike Hanhörster & Susanne Wessendorf, 2020. "The Role of Arrival Areas for Migrant Integration and Resource Access," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(3), pages 1-10.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Katja Friedrich & Stefanie Rößler, 2026. "Shrinkage and Marginalisation in Large Housing Estates: Impacts on Atmospheres in Public Spaces," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 11.

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