Migrations, hidden markets in gateway cities of the mediterranean region

This paper investigates some relevant changes in cities of the Mediteranean region interested by migration processes. Most of the cities of the southern Europe can be considered true “Gateway Cities”, from where migrants coming from African and the Asian countries depart to spread all over Europe. New communities are setting, new informal networks grow in the city. These processes are usually accompanied by a symbolic negative image, which shift the attention from the main aspect of the process. Some socio-economic studies demonstrate that migrants can constitute a new economic potential for European Countries, if new policies are set up, in order to address a better social policy to avoid the rise of hidden markets, and the development of criminality. Some references to new social policies developed at a local level are given in the paper. A relevant example of a hidden market, managed by the resident community, where the migrant community represents a potential informal demand, is the housing market. Those cities, where degraded architectural heritage does not constitute a competitive offer of housing for residents, have become the place for migrants. Few studies investigate the impacts and the local character of this rising demand on the urban economy. Some estimates are given in the paper about the city of Bari. Moreover, an open question is represented by the need of activating a social housing policy. The last part of the paper lists some experiences carried out in order to use the existing stock of popular dwellings, or to activate negotiations between owners and users in order to provide an economically sustainable offer