Leveraging Diversity for Thriving Cities

In 2019, nearly 1 million migrants were arrested along the United States-Mexico border. These children, families, and otherwise vulnerable people arrived from Central and Latin America, but also Africa and Asia, in the hopes of finding peace and prosperity in a new home with less corruption, violence, environmental degradation, and lack of opportunity.

Urban areas are at the center of this push and pull of migration: extreme inequality across rural regions and lack of options in many urban areas mean that people seek opportunity in cities, especially in middle- to high-income countries. Yet urban centers—including London, Rio, and San Francisco—are increasingly unable to meet the needs of residents and newcomers due to shocking income inequality and resulting strains on social support systems.

Yet cities are as essential to our prosperity as are our rural landscapes. Each struggles with equitable and sustainable land and water management, property rights, creating fulfilling jobs with livable wages, and protecting the human rights of diverse residents. But each also provides essential services and innovation necessary for entire regions and countries to thrive.

The impact of agglomeration of services and opportunities in cities and border regions mean they continue to be economic engines, and drivers for sustainability and policies that promote civil rights. Cities also frequently provide havens for vulnerable populations who otherwise suffer in more restrictive geographies. Rural areas continue to provide resources as basic as food and material inputs, but also the richness of natural resource knowledge and human creativity that build (and necessarily challenge) our core institutions.

To limit trends toward growing inequality in cities, and consequent xenophobia and policies that curb migration and diversity, we need to work collaboratively to unite the strengths of rural and urban areas, learning from mid-sized cities and border regions to solve our most pressing challenges.

Ana Marie Argilagos is President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy, which strengthens Latino leadership, influence, and equity by leveraging philanthropic resources. Previously, she was a senior advisor at the Ford Foundation and also served as deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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