Pop-up link Essay:  Integratie & de Metropool – De Pluriculturaliteit van de toekomstige stad

There is no shortage of scenarios or plans on how The Netherlands in the future should or would look like. Unfortunately, within these views, the question of who will inhabit the Dutch cities is not questioned too often. This lack of a sustainable demographic prospective use of the country is also characteristic for the current debate on immigration and integration.

The integration issue within the social-public debate is often approached from an ethnic-cultural perspective, but it is questionable whether this perspective can offer solutions. The economic and demographic developments within The Netherlands indicate that the focus will be more and more on the ‘Randstad’ (the west part of The Netherlands). It is the area where (children of) migrants are mostly settling from the 70`s on wards. There is a need for a wider socio-economic perspective for issues which will contain and connect economic growth and issues such as health, education and urban planning all together. What does integration in 2040 look like and what role will the Randstad as a metropole play?

FORUM, Institute for multicultural issues has asked a number of leading thinkers, politicians and scientists with diverse backgrounds for from their field to think about these questions. Integration & the metropolis. Perspectives for 2040 is a fascinating exercise, a search for an alternative reply is that rich and future-proof. With contributions from leading thinkers, politicians and scientists.