Kohti tulevaisuuden kaupunkiyhteisöä?

Monikulttuurisuus ja maahanmuuttajat Helsingin, Joensuun ja Tampereen kaupunkien strategioissa

Abstrakti

This article examines the strategies of Helsinki,
Joensuu and Tampere and the cities’ strategic reactions
to multiculturalism and immigration. Is cultural
diversity treated as a risk – a burden to be coped
with – or an opportunity and solution to challenges
faced in the future? The empirical data consists of
strategic documents of municipal governance. The
textual analysis of the documents shows that immigration
and diversity appear to have risen among
the important strategic issues, most evidently in the
metropolitan area of Helsinki. In the regional cities
of Tampere and Joensuu, cultural diversity and
immigration have been treated less systematically.
Equity of ethnic minorities or multiculturalism in
the strong sense of the term, referring to rights
granted to communities or cultural rights in the
public sphere have nevertheless not gained ground
in any of the three urban municipalities examined. A
pragmatic, welfare-society approach that is based on
the allocation of resources derived from economic
activity combines with a dichotomizing view of the
immigrant either as work force for the needs of
economic growth or as a potential threat that has
to be controlled through social service provision and
education. Rights-based discursive approach in strategic
planning of municipalities is largely missing this
far. Strengthening of such an approach would better
bring forth the role of active, inclusive citizenship.