Migration and integration policies of local governments: The case of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality

The phenomenon of migration affects cities and the activities of local governments that provide public services in cities. The migration movement, which began from Syria in 2011, has directly affected the policies and services of local governments in different countries, especially municipalities in Turkey. Local governments define their approach to migration and create policies. They also provide a variety of services for immigrants and strives to contribute to the coexistence of communities. The main aim of this study is to analyze the activities of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality towards Syrians with a theoretical framework. The study finds out that Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality provides services by not separating Syrians from the local population despite legal, economic and human resource deficiencies and contributes to deepening of integration between communities.