Refugee (social) entrepreneurship and civic action in the context of urban shrinkage Insights from the US city of Akron (OH)

This chapter discusses the potential of refugee entrepreneurship within cities affected by urban decline, and how it interacts with local civic action and urban development. Taking the example of the US city of Akron (Ohio) and its refugee community, the chapter investigates the role of local policies, social networks, and do-it-yourself practices. Once the ‘Rubber Capital of the World’, the city has experienced large-scale deindustrialisation with pronounced effects of urban decline. Since the 2000s, however, Akron has become an important site for refugee resettlement in the state of Ohio. Refugee groups are driving local development through civic action and (social) entrepreneurship, concentrated largely in the neighbourhood of North Hill.