New Migration, Neighbourhood Effects and Community Change

Public opinion has coalesced around the view that new migration is having a major impact on settled residents in effected locations. This project set out to test these claims through a review of the evidence base relating to local experiences of new migration. An extensive literature details the situations and experiences of migrants in the UK. Glimpses are provided into ways in which migration is being experienced in different ways in different places. Little effort has been put into describing and explaining this variable geography. A small number of studies provide useful insights into different dimensions of place important in shaping experiences of migration but say little about their relative importance or interconnectivity. Little evidence also exists about what works, where and why in terms of promoting trust and understanding and nurturing positive relations between new and long-standing residents. Two key priorities for future research emerge from this review. First, the development of conceptual models of causation relating to the pathways through which place informs and is impacted on by migration. Second, greater understanding of how to actively promote cosmopolitan practices in the context of new migration and analysis of good practice in bridge building between new and long-standing residents.