Oc teacher's notes unit 3a

Migration and the Growth of Cities

So, these days, the leaders of successful cities realise that it is not only important 

to attract foreign-born workers, but also to retain them. Migrant populations are an 

asset to any city.

Nowadays, it is an accepted fact that important cities need to attract workers from 

all over the world if they want to compete in the global economy. Many cities that 

appear at the top of league tables for economic performance also top the league 

tables for foreign born residents: London, New York, Amsterdam. Toronto, 

Vancouver, Los Angeles, Sydney, Frankfurt, Brussels.

Cities all over the world are getting bigger and bigger. Urban areas gain 

approximately 60 million people a year. In 2008, 50% of the world’s population 

lived in cities. By 2050, two thirds of the world’s population will be living in urban 

areas.

This growth in population in cities has two sources. Firstly, migration from the 

countryside or small towns to bigger urban areas. And secondly, migration from 

other countries directly to big cities. In Europe, much of the recent population 

growth in big cities is due to the arrival of migrant workers from outside Europe. 

Large cities attract more foreign-born migrants, small cities attract local migrants.

It is also the case that successful cities attract more migrant workers than less 

successful cities. Migrants are naturally attracted to cities with most job 

opportunities. The converse is also true. Successful cities always have a higher 

migrant population than less successful cities. This is because they can attract the 

skills, investment and human resources needed to compete in the global 

economy.

Listening

•

To get students thinking about the theme of the listening, ask them if they know 

what magnets and glue do. (Magnets attract and glue makes things stay in place)

•

Ask the students if they know what the ‘magnets and glue’ of a city are. Ask them 

to read the text on