Welcome to the New German City

Including immigrants in German cities will require courage and creativity from policymakers.

Germany's cities will look very different in the next 10 to 15 years. Germany leads the European Union in refugee and migrant intake as the continent now attempts to absorb more than 400,000 refugees from the crisis in the Middle East. These migrant communities will largely seek to settle in urban centers in search of new opportunities, and city leaders will face challenges as they attempt to house, educate, employ and provide services for these new citizens.

At the same time, the acceptance from the government of new foreign communities in Germany is also juxtaposed with the rise of religious and political extremism, the recent declaration of Germany's historic policy of multiculturalism as an "utter failure" by Chancellor Angela Merkel and unsustainable population decreases due to aging anddeclining birthrates.

These parallel trends leave many questions for policymakers in the next 10 years as communities come face to face with the realities of a diverse Germany, potential strains on its robust welfare system and its increasing political polarity. But getting this right is essential to creating more equitable and inclusive cities, and will take leadership and policy innovation if Germany is not destined to repeat its rocky past of failed integration policies...