ABSTRACT

Grassroots refugee community organizations (RCOs)—run by and for resettled refugees—are often small, informal, and financially unstable, and thus commonly forgotten in urban governance networks. Nevertheless, RCOs facilitate the integration of refugee communities in urban settings. We interviewed 42 leaders of 35 RCOs in 35 U.S. cities and conducted four focus groups with community leaders of Bhutanese RCOs. Findings suggest that federally contracted NGOs and local governments have frequently denied RCOs’ requests to participate in governance. Notably, only one RCO reported successful insertion in an urban governance network. Phase two of the study identified and conceptualized the inclusive practices that a Midwestern city adopted, such as hiring a cultural planner and building a consortium to support refugees in urban governance. This article provides a roadmap toward the successful integration of RCOs in urban governance. Even small and midsize cities can develop strategies for the inclusion of RCOs in the urban planning process.

摘要

草根难民社区组织 (RCO)——由重新安置的难民经营并为他们服务——通常规模小、非正式且财务不稳定，因此在城市治理网络中通常被遗忘。尽管如此，RCO 促进了难民社区融入城市环境。我们采访了美国 35 个城市 35 个 RCO 的 42 位领导人，并与不丹 RCO 的社区领导人进行了四个焦点小组讨论。调查结果表明，与联邦政府签订合同的非政府组织和地方政府经常拒绝 RCO 参与治理的请求。值得注意的是，只有一个 RCO 报告成功插入城市治理网络。该研究的第二阶段确定并概念化了一个中西部城市采用的包容性做法，例如聘请文化规划师和建立一个财团来支持城市治理中的难民。本文提供了将 RCO 成功整合到城市治理中的路线图。即使是中小型城市也可以制定将 RCO 纳入城市规划过程的战略。