The Inclusion of Migrants in Cities: The Case of St. Petersburg

Migration and mobility play a key role in shaping the outlook of modern cities, contributing to their diversity and dynamics. At the same time, cities are faced with the challenge of ensuring good practice concerning migrants and inclusive governance. The present report is aimed at examining the issue of the inclusion of migrants at the local level, with a focus on the case study of St. Petersburg. As one of Russia’s largest cities, St. Petersburg offers a broad range of social and economic opportunities for migrants, while migrants in turn contribute to the city’s growth and development. Since St. Petersburg attracts both internal and international migration flows, the local population’s attitude towards migrants remains important. However, the current trend in Russia is not optimistic: the ‘Russia for Russians’ rhetoric gains momentum and the level of tolerance among the local population hit its lowest level in 2013. Within this framework, the question remains of how much is being done at the local level in order to better integrate migrants into society and its new realities. Conclusions and recommendations are then presented in order to draw attention to what major achievements have taken place at the local level, what is lacking and what could be improved in the current situation.