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Luis Garzón
Migration Rescaling in Catalonia. Cause or Conse-
quence?
(doi: 10.2383/81429)

Sociologica (ISSN 1971-8853)

Fascicolo 2, maggio-agosto 2015

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Symposium / Rescaling Immigration Paths: Emerging
Settlement Patterns beyond Gateway Cities, edited by Eduardo
Barberis and Emmanuele Pavolini

Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

Cause or Consequence?
by Luis Garzón
doi: 10.2383/81429

1. Introduction

This paper analyzes settlement patterns of migrants in Catalonia through the

perspective of rescaling. The definition of rescaling we use in this paper departs from
a perspective combining the works of Light [2002; 2005; 2009] and Glick Schiller
[2003; 2007]. Following the introduction to this issue as written by Barberis and
Pavolini [2015], we define rescaling as a process of territorial repositioning and re-
structuring of urban areas also linked to relocation of migrants at national, regional
and city scale.
Catalonia, a wealthy region located in northeastern Spain. Barcelona is the cap-
ital of Catalonia, and an increasingly connected metropolis. In recent years, migrants,
who traditionally settled in the inner city, have come to live in neighboring towns.
In this paper we analyze the reasons for this specific case of rescaling and the conse-
quences of rescaling regarding the relationships between migrants and locals.
We will examine the link between rescaling in Catalonia and the context of the
current economic crisis. Our thesis is that in the case of Catalonia, migration rescaling
is happening mostly due to the pull effect of local labor markets. Therefore, migrants
who are settling in smaller towns are going there in order to work in jobs that are
substantially different from the jobs that can be found in big cities like Barcelona.
There are several perspectives on migration rescaling. According to the inter-
pretation of Barberis and Pavolini [ibidem] in the introduction to this special issue,

Sociologica, 2/2015 - Copyright © 2015 by Società editrice il Mulino, Bologna. 1

Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

the findings made by Light [2009] on migrant mobility could be interpreted through
the lens of urban rescaling processes. Light [ibidem] defines rescaling as a process
resulting from the saturation of the housing market in big cities. Whenever housing
in big cities reaches a point of saturation, migrants will move to smaller towns, mov-
ing away from the big city. In this perspective, migration rescaling is defined as an
effect of the deflection of migration from cities due to rising rents [ibidem]. On the
other hand, other scholars maintain that certain local factors drive specific types of
migration toward certain cities, creating different scales of migration [Glick Schiller
2009]. Our case study, focused on the Catalan town of Manresa, will be contrasted
with these two interpretations of rescaling, examining to what extent we follow more
closely Light’s interpretation on rescaling or Glick Schiller’s. Barberis & Pavolini
[2015] point to the importance of regional variations of rescaling.
The structure of the paper is as follows:
a) A brief theoretical introduction on the concept of rescaling, presenting the
different theoretical strands on migration and urban rescaling, including those at-
tributing rescaling either to push factors (related to the flight from central cities), or
to pull factors (related to the local economies and urban dynamics of the receiving
towns);
b) A section on migration in Catalonia, considering factors related to the local
labor market;
c) A section on the geographical distribution of migrants in the Catalan terri-
tory;
d) A case study focused on the town of Manresa, located near the geographical
center of Catalonia, and the ongoing migration rescaling in the town;
e) An analysis of the link between migration rescaling processes and rise of
xenophobia in Catalonia;
f) Concluding remarks on the effects of rescaling in Catalonia.

2. Socio-Spatial Configurations and Rescaling Processes.

Foreign migrants traditionally settled in the migrant neighborhoods of big cap-

ital cities all around the world. This is how the “dual cities” [Sassen 1991] were cre-
ated: through an influx of migrant workers that arrived to the city, incorporated into
the vast urban labor market and found jobs, contributing to the development of the
urban fabric as well as the urban economy.
In the last third of the Twentieth century, suburbanization processes meant
migrants started to flee congested main cities towards smaller towns. In the United

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States, these were the suburbs surrounding the cities. Middle class areas where suc-
cessful migrants could forget the congested and crime-ridden inner city [Jones 1995]
became the new haven for those professionals. In Europe the process has been differ-
ent. Urban configurations in Europe tend to display the opposite pattern than in the
U.S., meaning that the city center becomes gentrified and houses upwardly mobile
professionals, while the working classes live in the so-called dormitory towns, where
locals and migrants alike share and compete for crowded urban space.
Urban configurations in European cities may have an impact either in driving
migrants away from the inner city or attracting them to the city center. In this respect,
Kesteloot [2005] points out the difference between dramatic and topologic cities.
Urban configurations and the place of migrants in them are grounded in changes in
economic cycles. Kesteloot argues that in contemporary cities we witness an increase
in social exclusion due to the decline in opportunities of stable integration in the
labor market, difficulties of state redistribution and the decline of traditional social
ties due to processes of individualization.
Gentrification processes in central cities are driving away working classes and
poor immigrants, who are increasingly compelled to move to peripheral neighbor-
hoods and neighboring towns. Kesteloot defines a socio-spatial configuration as
the material environment in which a given social group is reproduced. The oppos-
ing forces of suburbanization and gentrification are examined as causing changes
in socio-spatial configurations of cities and the location of immigrant within them
[ibidem].
Different socio-spatial configurations have emerged in European cities. In the
city of Milan, Italy, the upper classes have remained in the inner city while migrants
settled in the working class suburbs of the metropolitan belt. On the other hand,
Belgian cities have the migrants living in the impoverished inner city while the suburbs
are the home for the middle classes [ibidem]. According to Kesteloot, the typical
urban configuration of Fordism was the “dramatic city,” where the rich would go to
live on the suburbs and the poor in the inner city, whereas in Europe we find topologic
cities, where the rich live near the center and the poor live in working class suburbs.
However, in order to understand differences in rescaling processes between
American and European cities, it is essential to understand that research on rescaling
first appeared in the United States. In the U.S. context, as Light [2005] points out,
migrants are forced to choose between either settling in the deteriorating inner city
or leave the city altogether. Contrastingly, in Europe, migrants have the possibility to
settle in the surrounding working class suburbs, remaining in the metropolitan area.
Today in Southern European cities, four types of populations share the urban
space. First, we find the inhabitants who have lived in the city for years but are

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Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

dwindling due to suburbanization processes. Second, there are commuters, who only
work in the city but live on the edges of it. Third, the tourists, and fourth are the
city users, who arrive to the city to use private and public places [Martinotti, 2005].
Competition over limited urban space causes displacement of the poorer groups,
among them immigrants, and creates new urban configurations [Kesteloot, 2005].
Kesteloot considers that the competition over urban space can develop either into a
repressive city or a negotiated city. The urban configuration known as the repressive
city generates fear and insecurity among the poorest sectors of the population.
In the case of Catalonia, however, change in socio-spatial configurations and
the relocation of urban populations is made even more complex by geography itself,
which limits the dwelling choices of both locals and immigrants alike and may consti-
tute an important factor in urban rescaling. As a city surrounded entirely by moun-
tains and the sea, the suburbs of Barcelona are not exactly part of the city, even if
public transport connections are fine. As near as 30 km away from Barcelona (the
example of Sabadell); we are already outside the metropolitan area of Barcelona.
The debate on socio-spatial configurations is relevant to rescaling. Two main
strands of rescaling theory connect migration and rescaling: the works by Ivan Light
and those by Nina Glick Schiller.
Ivan Light [2002; 2004; 2008] analyzes changes in settlement patterns of mi-
grants. Drawing from the U.S. experience, Light covers internal flows of foreign mi-
grants from big cities (New York and Los Angeles) to inland areas. He focuses main-
ly on Mexican and Asian communities and concludes that both communities have
moved to other locations looking for cheaper housing and wanting to be set free
from congested cities. However, Light finds Mexicans moving to cheaper and less
desirable locations than Asians. Mexicans are compelled to move to smaller towns
more frequently than Asians because they are considered to “saturate” faster the ur-
ban environment.
“Our empirical results support the hypothesis that a high-volume, network-driven
long-term migration of low-income people saturates absorption capacity in prime
network destinations, thus precipitating migratory dispersal.” [Light 2008, 13-14].

Light apparently treats as a given the notion of saturation, as if it were a me-

chanical consequence where agency was not involved. Light arrives at the conclusion
that migrants leaving big cities are moved more by push than by pull factors. The
downside of the argument is that it does not acknowledge changes in migration and
labor legislation and the labor market.
On the other hand, Nina Glick-Schiller and Ayse Çağlar [2009] focus on local
labor markets, which generate ethnic market niches for migrants. Their emphasis on

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 Sociologica, 2/2015

local economies provides a reason for migrants to settle in certain locations: because
there are jobs waiting for them. This is the case for example, of Northern Italy, where
small-scale industry has been gradually abandoned by local youth, opening vacancies
that have been filled by young, undocumented migrants that accept lower wages than
locals. Disinvestment or changes in investment in cities prompts changes in spatial
relationship.
“In migration studies, cities, if approached comparatively and within a global per-
spective, can serve as important units of analysis in exploring the interface between
migrants’ pathways of incorporation and the materialization of broader neoliberal
processes.” [Glick Schiller & Çağlar, 2009: 179].

Glick Schiller & Çağlar criticize sociological perspectives isolating local migra-
tion processes from global trends. Municipalities are embedded in hierarchical scales
and dynamics prevalent in “gateway cities,” in their view, should not be considered
universal. Smaller towns will have lower scales of migration.
Globalization has prompted concentration of economic activities in certain lo-
cations, making it more feasible to restructure production and assign specific human
resources to work in specialized towns. Specialization of municipalities is part of ur-
ban rescaling processes, always connected with migration. Local authorities reshape
their towns to attract certain types of investment [ibidem].
Scale does not necessarily equate size, as cities with a smaller population may
be more important than others by virtue of housing international institutions. That
would be the case of Brussels in Belgium and of Geneva in Switzerland. Urban scale
is connected with the relevance of cities and towns for the global economy:
a) Top Scale: Global cities like New York or London.
b) Up-Scale: Cities that have undergone urban reform recently.
c) Low Scale: Towns with little relevance for the global economy.
d) Down-scale: Declining towns where economic activities are being
abandoned.
In the following sections of the paper we will be focusing mostly on low-scale
towns in Catalonia. Low scale towns are characterized by receiving migration flows
but not being able to build a cosmopolitan ambiance. Hence, a strong housing segre-
gation and also concentration of migrant populations in very specific labor niches is
produced. The main employment niche for migrants in low-scale towns lies in small
businesses, which were previously owned and tended by locals and today owned and
tended by members of certain migrant communities. Shops owned by migrants end
up catering not only to them, but also to impoverished locals. The possible range of
pathways of incorporation for migrants is narrower in these towns than in upscale

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Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

cities, prompting further competition between migrants and locals. My stance is that
pull factors are more important than push factors in explaining why migrants settle
in certain locations. I would agree with Glick Schiller and Çağlar that rescaling is
dependent on contexts, where location changes have both local and global implica-
tions regarding the incorporation of migrants. It is local industries and the local labor
market that entices foreign migrants to settle in a certain place. Housing plays a role
in rescaling, of course, but only secondarily and deriving from local labor markets,
which are the main driving forces behind the demand for migrants and hence the
main factor in determining settlement of migrants in specific locations.

3. Rescaling in Catalonia

The following sections of the paper are devoted to the analysis of the specific
situation of Catalonia. We will begin by describing the territorial organization of
Catalonia, a northeastern region of Spain. Following the description of Catalonia, we
will address briefly the issue of migrant distribution in this territory. We would like
to point out that the analysis hereby is focused on the specific situation in Catalonia
with no intention to offer a general theory of migrant rescaling for other countries
and regions. In other countries, where different socio-spatial configurations exist, we
would find different outcomes.

3.1. The Territorial Organization of Catalonia

Catalonia is an Autonomous Community (region) located in northeast Spain,

divided into 4 provinces: Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona and Lleida. There is another
geographic division, “comarca” (county). Some “comarcas” have a greater share of
foreign population than Barcelona, even if absolute figures are minor. Due to its loca-
tion, Catalonia has been a stopover location on north-south routes between northern
Europe and the Maghreb. These routes are still visible today, as Catalonia receives
both European migration (mostly upper-middle class northern Europeans looking
for warmer weather) and migration from Africa (low-skilled workers).
The capital city of Barcelona could be defined as an upscale city, as it is well
connected with international networks and receives both skilled and unskilled migra-
tion. In contrast, other Catalan towns are suffering population loss (of locals) that can
only be replaced by migrants willing to work for lower wages in declining activities.
Catalonia has received more foreign migrants in the last ten years than in all the
Twentieth century. According to Bayona & Gil [2010], 70% of population growth

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in Spain since 1996 has been a direct result of migration. Catalan municipalities do
have small-scale economies (based on Small and Medium Enterprises) that allow for
a substantial demand of migrant inflows. There is substantial evidence that Catalan
towns have allowed, at least prior the crisis, for foreign migrants to find jobs in shops
and factories [Valls Molina & Brunet Vega 2001; Bayona & Gil 2010].
Local economies influence migration rescaling through job creation. Jobs in
economic sectors, which thirty years ago were occupied by local workers (retail, in-
dustry, agriculture), are now still there thanks to the arrival of foreign migration.
Low-skilled service jobs experienced labor shortages in the first years of the Twen-
ty-first century while demand for personal services has been increasing due to the
incorporation of local women into professional positions [Parella 2005]. Therefore,
a niche for migrant women available to work as maids, caregivers and cleaners was
created. While migrant women found jobs mainly as maids, their male counterparts
encountered what at that point seemed to be a goldmine: the construction industry.
Construction has always been a thriving sector in Spain. Spain is one the coun-
tries of the European Union with a higher share of home ownership [Martinez Veiga
1999], as an effect of long-term policies. The apex of that policy orientation was the
proclamation, in 2002 and under the government of the PP (Popular Party), of the
so-called “Law of Soil” (Law 345/2002), which allowed local authorities to redraw
criteria for building permits. This was thought of mainly as an opportunity to boost
local revenues for municipalities. The law provided strong development in the build-
ing sector and jobs for locals and immigrants alike.
The speed of change in migration patterns singles out Southern Europe. Where-
as Southern European countries have received mass foreign migration before being
able to develop a comprehensive migration policy, countries in Central and North-
ern Europe had the time (in the 1950s and 1960s) to devise migration policies be-
fore the numbers of migrants began to increase at an exponential rate. This is the
reason that has been given by some researchers to explain the absence of a model
of migrant incorporation in Spain, which contrasts with the polar opposites of Mul-
ticulturalism in the UK and Anglo-speaking countries and Universalism in France
and French-speaking countries, which generate contrasting models of incorporation
for migrants [Moreno Fuentes 2005; 2012; King 2002; Peixoto et al. 2012; Todd
2002].
Technology and globalization have played an important part in speeding up
migration. Half a century ago, when countries such as the UK, France or Belgium
received numbers of foreign migrants, migration was still largely a permanent situa-
tion, as flying overseas was not cheap or frequent. Furthermore, contacts between
migrants and their home countries were reduced to occasional letters, which took

7
Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

months to arrive, if they did.1 Therefore, migration flows were slower to arrive, slower
to settle and also slower to move on to new locations when there were problems in
the place of first settlement. This faster pace of migration has to be taken into account
when analyzing migration rescaling in Southern Europe.
Migration rescaling in Catalonia has been the product of two factors that are
specific to migration regimes in Southern European countries (Spain, Italy, Greece).
The first is the high speed of migration processes. The second is the existence of
labor market niches associated with low skilled jobs that locals are deserting. The
combination of both factors tends to disperse migration.
The migrant rate in Catalonia at the beginning of the 1990s was around 2%,
while today it is 17.5% with some neighborhoods in Barcelona being around 35%,
and this is in spite of long-term migrants who obtained Spanish citizenship in the
interim, ceasing to be registered as migrants, and people who returned to their coun-
tries of origin.
Barcelona has been the first and foremost point of entry for foreign migrants
in Catalonia. Specifically in the “Casc Antic” (Old City) central neighborhood, mi-
grants from Morocco first settled [Moreras 1999]. Furthermore, back in the 1970s
Barcelona was the preferred entry point of Latin American exiles fleeing the dictator-
ships in their home countries [Jensen 2007]. The municipal governments of Barcelona
have been aware of the changes brought by migration. Local government was in the
hands of the PSC (Socialist Party) from 1980 until 2011 when the Catalan national-
ist coalition CiU (Convergence and Union) took over. Notwithstanding welcoming
policies at the municipal level, the interplay between city, regional and national levels
has made migration policy-making more complex, as higher levels of administration
pushed for migration control while welcoming policies were carried out at the city
level. Migration flows peaked in 2008 and, after that year, the number of arrivals
began to diminish, even if the overall percentage of migrants kept increasing. The
immigration rate in Catalonia was 15.7% in January 2011 [cf. Idescat.cat]: that was
the first year that migration rates dropped (– 1.1%) since the beginning of the 1990s.
Decrease in migration rates has been especially pronounced among men. The
main reason lies in the employment opportunities available for migrants in the Catalan
economy, most of them related to domestic work, in jobs related to cleaning and care,
which are mostly feminized. Furthermore, unemployment has hit mostly migrants
who worked in construction, meaning that in many migrant families the female has
x
1 Some classical works of the sociology of migration hinged on letters that immigrants wrote to
their homeland and were the only contact and means of communication between the migrant and the
home country. The most well-known of these works is, of course, The Polish Peasant in America by
V.I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki [Thomas & Znaniecki 2004].

8
 Sociologica, 2/2015

become the main breadwinner. Obviously, the drop in employment rates among mi-
grants is connected to long-lasting effects of the economic crisis, which is prompting
the return of migrants, especially those from Latin America, to their home countries.

3.2. Migration and Population in Catalonia

Catalan municipalities tend to be relative small. Approximately 80% of them

have less than 5,000 inhabitants. The relative weight of small municipalities has been
highlighted by Bayona & Gil [2010] as a defining trait of the Catalan territorial mod-
el. The small size and high dispersion of Catalan municipalities has important impli-
cations for migration rescaling. A territorial model based on small, disperse munic-
ipalities is matched by an economic structure driven by Small and Medium Enter-
prises. Migration demand would be expected to be more reliant in local economies
and rescaling to be driven by municipalities themselves and not by the deflection of
migration from Barcelona. In fact, quantitative data shows no evidence of a “subur-
banization” of migration. There are 85 municipalities with more 10,000 inhabitants,
representing a mere 9% of the total number of Catalan municipalities. Almost a half
(33) of the bigger municipalities has a share of migrant population higher than 15%
(see Table 1). This is the case in Manresa, Sabadell, Vic, Badalona and Mataró. Bay-
ona & Gil point out that demographic loss has been limited by the arrival of foreign
migration [ibidem]. Urban dispersion has meant that big cities and towns have been
shrinking while in smaller towns population was increasing.

TAB. 1. Catalan Municipalities by Size

Population Municipalities % % of foreigners % of total

population
Less than 1,000 479 50.6 9.6 2.5
1,001-5,000 259 27.3 11.3 7.9
5,001-10,000 88 9.3 12.0 8.2
10,001-15,000 36 3.8 14.5 5.9
15,001-20,000 22 2.3 15.4 5.1
More than 20,000 63 6.7 17.0 70.4
Total 947 100 15.7 100

Source: La Immigració en Xifres, 13, Gencat, 2011

A significant share of foreigners living in smaller municipalities is of European

origin (France, Germany or the UK, mainly). Bayona & Gil [ibidem] point to the cor-
relation between municipality size and the main migrant communities living in them:

9
Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

in smaller municipalities we find less Latin American migrants but more Africans
while the opposite is true for big cities, where there are more Latin Americans than
Africans. This is linked to ethnic labor market niches.
Migration rates are higher in towns based on labor-intensive activities. Agricul-
ture and construction generated labor demand in the last decade. While migrant men
found jobs in these sectors, women worked mostly as household cleaners and maids.
Therefore, in towns where low-skilled manufacturing or services are strong (e.g. in
Guissona, Salt, Badalona and Vic), migrant rates are higher than in Barcelona. Mi-
gration has also increased in towns based in retail such as Sabadell or Manresa, with
a succession process in retail that transformed some former neighborhood shops into
kebabs, bazaars or call centers.
The following Table shows the ten Catalan Municipalities with a higher share
of migrants. Most of them have less than 500,000 inhabitants. This fact may suggest
rescaling lies more in local economies rather than in links to the big city.

TAB. 2. 10 Catalan Municipalities with Higher Share of Foreign Population

Municipality Province Population Foreigners % of foreigners

Castelló d’Empuries Girona 11,885 5,941 50%
Guissona Lleida 6,552 3,269 49.9%
Salt Girona 30,389 12,930 42.5%
Lloret de Mar Girona 40,282 16,175 41.6%
Ullà Girona 1,075 423 39.3%
Sant Pere Pescador Girona 2,108 813 38.6%
Pratdip Tarragona 848 324 38.2%
El Perelló Tarragona 3,336 1,241 37.2%
Salou Tarragona 26,193 9,712 37.1%
La Jonquera Girona 3,094 1,082 35%

Source: La Població Estrangera als Municipis de Catalunya, 2011

Even though several of the municipalities with a higher share of foreign popula-
tion are along the coastline (Castelló d’Empuries, Lloret de Mar, Sant Pere Pescador
and Salou), the presence of migrants in these places should not be attributed merely
to European tourists having a second home, as these same towns generate a pool of
low-skilled service jobs often occupied by foreigners. The distribution of towns with
a high percentage of migrants is consistent with the typology of Catalan municipali-
ties outlined by Bayona & Gil [ibidem], who distinguish four types of areas with a
sizable foreign migration:

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 Sociologica, 2/2015

a) Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà: These areas correspond to the border with
France and European migration is predominant.
b) Municipalities in the inner area of Tarragona province, with a high propor-
tion of Africans;
c) Municipalities in the Pyrenees with a significant proportion of Americans
and Europeans;
d) Countryside areas in inland Lleida province, with a sizeable population of
African migrants working as seasonal workers in agriculture.
On the other hand, the following Table shows the most populated municipal-
ities in Catalonia. The first three are Barcelona and the cities located immediately
north and south of Barcelona. The capitals of the other three provinces (Tarragona,
Lleida and Girona) have lower migration rates than Barcelona.
The most populated municipalities (Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat and
Badalona) form part of the metropolitan area, while Terrasa and Sabadell lie further
inland but still in the Barcelona province. The following Figure is a map of Catalonia
displaying the ten municipalities with a higher share of migration and the largest cities.
Most cities with a higher share of migration are located in the province of Girona. In
the province of Girona we find both the less populated capital of a province (Girona)
and highest number of municipalities with a high share of migration, as five of them
(Castelló d’Empuries, Salt, Lloret de Mar, Sant Pere Pescador and La Jonquera) are
located in the province.

TAB. 3. Most Populated Municipalities in Catalonia (2013)

Municipality Province Population % of foreigners

Barcelona Barcelona 1,611,822 17.45%
Hospitalet de Llobregat Barcelona 254,056 21.54%
Badalona Barcelona 219,708 14.58%
Terrasa Barcelona 215,055 13.66%
Sabadell Barcelona 207,649 11.60%
Lleida Lleida 139,809 21.09%
Tarragona Tarragona 133,545 18.15%
Mataró Barcelona 124,099 16.44%
Santa Coloma de Gramenet Barcelona 120,029 21.89%
Reus Tarragona 106,790 18.57%
Girona Girona 97,292 19.90%

Source: IDESCAT

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Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

It is interesting to note that none of the towns with a higher migration rate are
located in the province of Barcelona. Thus, factors channeling migration to certain
locations appear not to be directly connected to dynamics of the Barcelona metropol-
itan area. The only evidence of a suburbanization of migration in Catalonia can be
found again in the area of Girona, in the municipality of Salt. Migration to Girona is
relatively low as many migrants live in Salt, a nearby town. Most of these are African
migrants, who work in the surrounding factories, while Girona residents of Girona
are mostly middle-class locals.

FIG. 1. Most Populated Municipalities (Red) and Towns with a Higher Rate of Foreign
Migration (Black) (2012)
Source: Own elaboration of Idescat data.

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 Sociologica, 2/2015

4. Migrants in Catalan Towns: a Scattering of Conflicts

Differentials in migration rates might be attributed to different local labor mar-

kets (municipalities specialized in manufacturing tend to have a higher share of mi-
gration than municipalities with a labor market based on services, with the exception
of the Northern Catalonia coastline), transport connections and housing prices (as
towns with lower housing prices tend to receive a higher number of non-European
migrants). We may distinguish two groups of municipalities according to the factors
influencing migration rates:
a) Towns where manufacturing activities deserted by locals are continued
through migration (Guissona, Salt, El Perelló, and Ullà).
b) Coastal towns based on tourism and personal services where we find both
European and non-Europeans migrants (Castelló d’Empuries, Lloret de Mar, Sant
Pere Pescador, Salou).
Valls Molina [2001] has indicated that in towns where most of the population
works locally migration rates are higher than in commuter “dormitory” towns. We
consider that the higher migration rates in the former and the lower migration rates in
the latter could be connected to the effects of housing prices in settlement patterns.
Rescaling appears to be taking place more due to the pull factors of host towns (mainly
related to the maintenance of local industries at the cost of ever lower salaries, plus a
more affordable housing market) rather than through flight from Barcelona. There is
little evidence of a deflection of migration from the city of Barcelona to smaller towns.
However, it could hypothesized that due to the compact nature of the Barcelona
metropolitan area itself, as the city is surrounded by mountains and the sea, there is
an unbridgeable geographical divide between the metropolitan area and the rest of
the province of Barcelona that thwarts internal mobility of migrants. Migrants who
cannot afford to live in the inner city move to working-class suburbs, the so-called
dormitory towns, or out of the metropolitan area, hence increasing migration in cities
such as Sabadell, Terrassa or Mataró.
Another perspective is provided by Bayona & Gil [2010], who argue that inten-
sification of migrant flows is increasing segregation in Catalonia between a “dynamic
rural,” attracting migration because of labor opportunities and a “regressive rural,”
losing population. The demographic perspective of Bayona & Gil, however, does not
acknowledge that the “dynamic rural” is based on worsening labor conditions and
informal work as the only means of insertion for many foreign migrants. Therefore it
is possible to detect a direct relationship between economic downscaling processes
and migration rescaling. Migrant settlement in Catalonia has preceded conflicts over
public space and public resources, linked to the ongoing economic crisis.

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Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

4.1. Migrant Rescaling and the Rise of Xenophobia

Medium-sized towns in the inner Barcelona province are experiencing issues as-
sociated with migration growth with a three-five year delay with respect to Barcelona.
The same type of conflicts over the use of common space usual in Barcelona in the
mid-2000s are currently starting to happen in smaller towns. Most of these towns lost
population during the 1990s, just before the beginning of foreign migration increas-
es, due to decreasing birth rates among locals. Internal migration has also played an
important part in urban and migration rescaling, as municipalities receiving foreign
migration today were previously host to internal migration from other parts of Spain;
something that Valls Molina considers might help these towns to design new integra-
tion policies for the new migration [Valls Molina 2001].
Political opposition to migration has been rising, one of its manifestations be-
ing the creation of the far-right party “Plataforma X Catalunya” (Platform for Cat-
alonia). PxC supports tightening of migration controls and opposes the recognition
of social citizenship rights to migrants. PxC was founded in April 2002 and quick-
ly gained support and political seats in the municipal assembly of Vic. Its website,
www.pxcatalunya.com, indicates the party favors “Equity against globalization,” im-
plying that globalization has per se a negative effect on social cohesion of cities and
communities. The party criticizes prevalence of liberalism over family values and at-
tributes to migration the increase in crime, unemployment and the collapse of welfare
services. Among their proposals there is the suppression of regularization (amnesty)
processes that allow undocumented migrants to obtain citizenship rights. The politi-
cal platform of PxC may be equated to that of other far-right parties in Europe, such
as the Front National in France and the BNP in Britain.
The town of Vic could be considered an example of the link between down-
scaling and the rise of anti-migration policies. The economic basis of Vic is the food
industry, in particular pork processing, used for the traditional “embutidos” (cured
sausages of the area). Migrants are a majority today in these meat-processing plants.
At the beginning of the Twenty-first century, meat packing plants in Vic began to hire
migrants from northern and central Africa, mostly Moroccan and Senegalese. The
main migrant groups living in Vic are African and Muslim, something that has im-
portant implications for ethnic relationships. Even though instrumental to the econ-
omy, settlement of immigrants of Islamic confession in the aftermath of 9/11 and the
Spanish 11 March 2004 train bombings has not been easy.
Urban change and its undesired effects have been the driving force behind the
rise of PxC, a party that has capitalized on the discontent of elderly locals regarding
socioeconomic changes [Hernandez-Carr 2011]. In the 2010 Catalan regional parlia-

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ment elections, PxC came close to obtaining representation, ultimately being defeat-
ed by the rising tide of several small Catalan nationalist parties. In the 2011 municipal
elections, PxC obtained 67 council members, most of them in towns with less than
10,000 inhabitants. The existence of political parties opposed to immigration is not a
new phenomenon in Europe but represents a change for the political climate of Cat-
alonia, which was traditionally perceived as a welcoming and cosmopolitan region.
The political strategy of PxC consists of recruiting locals who feel sidetracked
or wronged by migrants and multicultural policies. Recurring issues of contention are
the over the use of urban space and the role of religion in everyday life, as migrants are
perceived to challenge the alleged secularization of Catalonia. The discourse by PxC
simplifies the complex changes brought in Catalan society by globalization and claims
that “those from the homeland” should be given priority whenever there is shortage of
resources. A further issue, previously unheard of in Spain, gained momentum in 2010,
when the ruling party in Vic proposed to deny undocumented immigrants the right to
be registered in the “Padrón” (municipal registry). The proposal had both statistical
and social implications. Registering in the “Padrón” is the only way for migrants to
be recognized as entitled to access to social services. Non-registered migrants may be
denied access to medical daycare in the public health system and their children may
have difficulties to enroll in schools. The debate on migrants’ access to municipal
services has become more controversial in the last five years, as public bodies at all
levels cut spending during the crisis. To understand the implications of this debate,
it is essential to take into account that Spain is one of the few countries in Europe
allowing for undocumented migrants to register in the municipality and gain social
rights in conditions akin to locals [Aja & Diez 2005]. Withdrawing undocumented
migrants from municipal registries, for the political forces that support this, would
serve a double aim: a) Limiting competition for scarce resources to natives; b) Making
undocumented migration invisible.
A recent (2012) reform in the Spanish Health Service has gone in this direc-
tion, suppressing social security cards for undocumented migrants. Citing budget
constraints and the need to stop “health tourism,” the reform has left undocumented
immigrants in Spain with access to emergency health care only.
Rise of xenophobic discourses in small towns could be interpreted as a signal
that migration in Catalonia is a “glocal” phenomenon. As defined by Borja & Castells
[2001], “glocal” can be defined as something global and local at the same time. In
Catalonia, global conditions appear to be channeling migration toward towns such
as Manresa.
Contention for limited resources (jobs, government aid, etc.) is often harsher
in small towns than in big cities also because local inhabitants are less used to diver-

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Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

sity than people in Barcelona. Towns where declining, labor-intensive economic ac-
tivities predominate are the main settlement areas for foreign migrants in Catalonia.
Following the classification by Glick Schiller and Çağlar [2009], downscale towns
are currently a destination for migrants looking for unskilled jobs.
What we find here is what Kitty Calavita [2005] labeled as immigration incor-
poration into “obsolete industries;” industries that could not be sustained without
hiring migrants willing to do the same kinds of jobs that locals did thirty years ago,
but at a lower price. Migration in this case substitutes productive change, innova-
tion and the development of new economic models. In order to keep an economic
model based on low-skilled, low-salaries jobs, migration is needed, but not wanted.
Following Castells [1997], we may hypothesize that anti-migration movements such
as PxC could be creating a kind of “identity of resistance,” emphasizing tradition as
movement of political resistance to changes brought by globalization. We consider
that the contradiction between migrant flows needed for economy, but unwanted
for the perceived threat to social cohesion and the rejection of multiculturalism, is
one among several explanatory factors behind displacements of migrant communi-
ties from one town or region to another. Therefore, xenophobia itself could be con-
sidered as a factor of migration rescaling. In the following section of the paper we
will examine this last hypothesis through the analysis of Manresa, a town located in
the center of Catalonia, which has experienced both spatial rescaling and migration
rescaling in the last ten years, becoming a representative example of the effects of
urban rescaling in migration.

5. Migration and Population Growth: the Case of Manresa

In the following pages we examine the case of Manresa (76,000 inhabitants),

capital of the “comarca” of Bages, inhabitants and located 64 kilometers west of
Barcelona in the inner Barcelona province, near the province of Lleida. Manresa is a
mid-sized town that offers a good opportunity to test our hypothesis on the relevance
of push and pull factors on migration rescaling. Manresa is far enough from the
big city to offer different incentives for prospective migrants to settle. The economy
of Manresa is based on retail and textile industries. The town has been receiving
foreign migration since the beginning of the Twenty-first century. Migration today
represents 12% of the population of Manresa. The following Figure offers a map of
the geography of immigration in the “comarca” of Bages:

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 Sociologica, 2/2015

FIG. 2. Bages. Percentage of Foreign Population by Municipality (2011).

Source: Consell Comarcal del Bages.

The legal framework impacts on settlement patterns of migrants. Under Span-

ish migration law, Latin American migrants might apply for Spanish citizenship af-
ter two years of legal residence, while migrants from other parts of the world are
required ten year of legal residence to apply for Spanish citizenship. This means that,
in Spain, Latin Americans disappear from migration statistics faster than Africans, as
they become Spanish. Furthermore, the economic crisis has had a strong impact in
the number of Latin American migrants. The recent improvement in the economic
situation of some Latin American countries, coupled with the development of “re-
turn” programs in Ecuador and Colombia, may have had an effect on this, reducing
the number of Latin American migrants living in Spain.
x
x
x

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Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

TAB. 4. Main Foreign Nationalities in Manresa (December 2012).

Countries Total M/F (%) % of total migrants

Morocco 6,154 56.35% / 43.63% 44.61%
Romania 1,555 50.73% / 49.26% 11.27%
China 688 53.05% / 46.94% 4.98%
Senegal 564 73.22% / 26.77 4.09%
Ecuador 439 49.8% / 50.1% 3.18%
Bolivia 427 39.57% / 60.42% 3.12%
Poland 389 58.09% / 41.9% 2.82%
Colombia 320 43.93% / 54.06% 2.32%
Ukraine 193 52.84% / 47.15% 1.4%
Italy 178 62.92% / 37.07% 1.29%
Peru 156 52.56% / 47.43% 1.13%
Others 1,827 N/A 19.79%

Source: Manresa Town Hall. Data from the Municipal Registry of Population

6. Conclusion: the Interplay between Urban Rescaling and Migration

Rescaling in Catalonia: Cause or Effect?

Changes in settlement patterns of migrants in Catalonia are triggered by a com-

bination of several factors. In the first place, there are the geographical constraints, as
Barcelona is surrounded by mountains and the sea, making an indefinite expansion
of the housing market in the city unlikely and hence rising housing costs for migrants
and locals alike. The geography of the city acts therefore as a factor of both urban
rescaling, as it attracts urban populations to the neighboring towns, and of migration
rescaling, as there is a limit to affordable housing that newly arrived migrants may
find in the city.
Considering this, it is possible to hypothesize that in Catalonia, migration rescal-
ing has not simply been a side effect of the economic crisis; but also part of the
complex and interlocking set of causes of the crisis. In Catalonia, migrant labor has
been “used” to maintain traditional, labor intensive, low-skilled economic activities
at odds with productive innovation. As an example we can mention the construction
bubble, which benefited from the arrival of migrants. When the construction bubble
burst it took over the jobs of migrants and locals alike. The prospects for long-term
settlement of migrants are another factor contributing to rescaling. Migrants settle
in places where they can set up stable households and businesses (i.e., affordable
housing markets and employment opportunities). Due to urban congestion, in recent
years Barcelona has appeared to meet their expectations to a lesser extent than medi-

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um-sized towns. The case of Manresa shows that migration flows, at least in Catalo-
nia, are attracted by specific local factors linked to the urban downscaling processes.
Migration rescaling could therefore be considered an effect of urban rescaling linked
to the combined effect of economic crisis and productive change.
Migration rescaling would be more a consequence of local factors affecting re-
ceiving locations than an effect of “migration flight” from Barcelona. Barcelona, even
if hit by the crisis, could still be defined, according to Glick Schiller and Çağlar’s
classification, as an upscale city, attracting both high and low skilled migration. On
the other hand, towns such as Manresa or Vic display their own small-scale econom-
ic dynamics where migrants substitute locals in low-skilled jobs. Following Glick
Schiller and Çağlar’s classification, Manresa could be considered a downscale town,
as its local economy attracts migration but the town is incapable of building a cos-
mopolitan environment and economic growth. Unfortunately, one of the results of
the simultaneous decline of the economy and migration growth in Catalonia is the
rise of xenophobic politics among the sidetracked local population.

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Garzón, Migration Rescaling in Catalonia

Migration rescaling in Catalonia

Cause or consequence?

Abstract: This paper offers a portrait of the evolution in settlement trends of foreign migration
in Catalonia and the relevance of “rescaling” for explaining change in settlement patterns of
migrants in the last ten years (2003-2013). “Rescaling” is defined here as restructuring of ur-
ban locations linked with settlement patterns of migrants. The interplay between residential
patterns of migrants and the ongoing economic crisis has been proven to be, in fact, a key
factor in explaining the process. The so-called “construction bubble” brought thousands of
migrants to work in Barcelona and surrounding towns. Migrants found jobs mainly in con-
struction (men) and in household cleaning (women). However, the crisis created a pool of job-
less migrants that began to relocate to cheaper locations. Among those cheaper locations, we
find towns such as Badalona or Mataró on the coastline, or Manresa and Vic further inland.
We are examining the adverse effects that the crisis has had in terms of the insertion of mi-
grants in these towns, as xenophobia and racism are on the rise. The far-right party Platafor-
ma X Catalunya is winning support in certain towns as resentment toward migrants is rising
among the lower echelons of the working classes, who compete with those migrants for dwin-
dling public resources. We conclude the paper with a reflection on the likely outcome of those
changes.

Keywords: Catalonia; Rescaling; Settlement Patterns; Immigration; Xenophobia.

Luis Garzón (PhD Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 2006) is Assistant Professor of Sociology
at Universidad de Burgos, Spain. His main research interests are Latin American migration, urban
sociology and the sociology of education and culture. He is the co-editor, jointly with Amado Alarcon,
of the book Language, migration and social mobility in Catalonia, published by Brill. He is a member
of RC21 Urban and Regional Committee of the International Sociological Association and of ISA.
He has published papers in journals such as Spanish in Context, Comparative Sociology and Mondi
Migranti.

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