Displacement, Migration, and Urbanization in the 21st Century
Over 79 million people are currently forcibly displaced within their own country or across international borders as a result of conflict or natural disaster. As Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, explained in 2020, “resolving forced displacement is not only a moral or humanitarian imperative, but also deals with issues at the heart of the [Security] Council’s mandate to maintain international peace and security.” Like human life in general, displacement has become a primarily urban phenomenon, though the data are still limited. Many people are attracted to cities because of what they offer, but others are escaping unbearable conditions elsewhere. While COVID-19 has undoubtedly tempered migration to cities, it was been estimated as recently as 2015 that over 3 million people move to cities every week, despite common national policies intended to dissuade movement to urban center.