Refugees in Cities. Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya.

In Eastleigh, a neighbourhood in Nairobi, Kenya, refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea live and work in the city outside of any refugee camp. In the neighbourhood several shopping malls, restaurants and hotels can be found run by them. Much of the economic activity is fuelled by cheap refugee labour. Nevertheless, even though not all have official work permits, it is estimated that commerce in the area generates the equivalent of about US$ 30 million* a year in tax revenue for the Kenyan government. The refugees in Eastleigh are therefore, a vital part of the local workforce and contribute to the local economy.

Yet, if inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities are supposed to be created refugees in urban areas need to be paid more attention to. More than half of the world’s refugees and internally displaced persons today live in urban areas. People fleeing violence, conflict and any crisis setting increasingly choose urban areas as their refuge due to the fact that urban areas often have more favourable characteristics than refugee camps or settlements; including better livelihood opportunities and improved access to basic services. Countries hosting refugees in cities, however tend to face enormous pressures on, and competition for, often already scarce basic urban services, land, housing, and employment, which not uncommonly results in tensions. While, hosting refugees and IDPs in cities at the same time has the potential to contribute to development and to be more sustainable than in refugee camps or settlements. The question which arises is how negative impacts can be prevented and benefits generated? Is it not indispensable to consider refugees as part of today’s urban reality and include them in urban policy as well as urban development frameworks?

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