Urban In/Formalities: How Arrival Infrastructures Shape Newcomers’ Access To Resources

In recent years, scholars in migration, urban studies, and urban planning have increasingly focused on the diversity of arrival processes experienced by international newcomers and the variety of spatial settings they involve. Current research on arrival infrastructures focuses on both place-based opportunity structures and newcomers’ agency in shaping arrival processes, illustrating the interconnectedness of formal and informal infrastructures. Arrival infrastructuring can be understood as a mediating process that connects individuals and their social, economic, and cultural capital to places and societal resources. The concept of “in/formality,” which addresses the formal–informal nexus as a continuum rather than in binary terms, offers a valuable yet underexplored perspective to analyse arrival processes and actors involved, including the state, market, and old and new residents. Through the lens of in/formality, this thematic issue aims to explore the practices, negotiations, and interconnections among different (migrant and non-migrant) actors involved in arrival infrastructuring. The contributions highlight four recurring ways in which the interplay between informal and formal practices manifests: unusual alliances, brokering, boundary spanning, and structured workarounds.