On the Participatory Dimension of Urban Citizenship. Migrants from Belarus and Ukraine in Wroclaw

Abstract

The aim of the article is to shed some light on the concept of urban citizenship as a possible approach to analysing the phenomenon of increasing migration to Poland, especially to large cities, and to try to empirically verify one of the three dimensions that constitute urban citizens – the participatory one. With this dimension in mind, and focusing our attention on Wrocław – a city whose real ethnic diversity is constituted mainly by migrants from Belarus and Ukraine arriving in the city – we ask questions about: their needs and expectations towards the urban community (both the city authorities and the residents), their willingness to undertake various actions for the benefi t of the community, and the diff erences between the Belarusian and Ukrainian migrant communities in terms of stated expectations and willingness to act. In answering these questions, we refer to the results of the quantitative research conducted in 2022–2023 as a part of the project “Conditions and Quality of Life in Wrocław – New Residents of the City”. They allow us to draw a conclusion about the migrants’ willingness to assume the role of citizens of the city – this is evidenced by their articulated expectations (claims) regarding practices and identity, and the obligations that these migrants are willing to fulfi l towards the city and its inhabitants. At the same time, it should be emphasised that Belarusians and Ukrainians arriving in Wrocław perceive this participation in a partly diff erent way, with the following important explanatory variables: the length of the stay in the city, the reason of one’s arrival there and the extent to which one is able to satisfy their basic needs as for material and physical safety.