Tony is a URA Scholar, and a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. His project, "Informal Resettlement of Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Cartagena, Colombia, and Urban Development" spans the political science, global studies, and media and communication studies disciplines. You can see it at URCAD Online, starting April 22nd!
Abstract:
Internally displaced people (IDP) are migrants who were involuntarily displaced from their habitual residence to other parts of their home country as a result of armed conflicts, human-made or natural disasters, or human rights violations. It is estimated that about 41.3 million people in the world today are internally displaced. This study investigates the resettlement of IDPs and urban development with a focus on the case of the Nelson Mandela neighborhood in Cartagena, Colombia. The study is based on visual materials, oral histories, and observation notes (collected during fieldwork in summer 2019) and on news stories about the neighborhood. The author conducted a thematic analysis of the data, including a triangulation of findings from different data sources. The results indicate that the informality of IDP resettlements and their scattered nature slows down urban development in the periphery of cities. As a result, the local government and civil society in Cartagena have not been able to accommodate the resettlements adequately because of the lack of data on IDPs and their informality. It is crucial to study this phenomenon further to assist internal migrant host city governments with data that can be integrated into their urban development plans.
Mentor: Felipe Filomeno, Political Science
Come see Tony's film and other undergraduate research and creative work, April 22-29th at URCAD.umbc.edu!
Want to be like Tony? Apply for a URA award and get up to $1500 for your research or creative work:
ur.umbc.edu/ura
