The central hypothesis of this project is:
That socio-economic, socio-demographic, ethnic and cultural diversity can positively affect social cohesion, urban economic performance and social mobility of individuals and groups suffering from socio-economic deprivation.
The main research questions are:
What evidence can we find of the positive aspects of urban diversity for social cohesion, social mobility and economic performance in European cities? How can these positive arrangements be enhanced by participatory policies and governance arrangements?
Programmes aimed at better social cohesion, higher economic performance and increased chances for social mobility will make European cities more liveable and more competitive.
In this period of economic downturn and increasing competition from other regions, it is important to find out how and under which circumstances Europe’s hyper-diversified urban communities can help, nurture and create social and economic advantages.
New policies, instruments and governance arrangements are needed, and sometimes they already exist.
And yet, there exists a significant research gap. We know little about the circumstances in which urban policies have become successful and how they can be implemented elsewhere. When we acknowledge the hyper-diversity of our urban societies, we also have to acknowledge that these societies cannot flourish from standard or general approaches aiming at, for example, economic growth or better housing or more liveable neighbourhoods.
Increasingly, more diverse and tailored arrangements are needed.
Arrangements that have an eye for that hyper-diversification, able to cope with the diverse needs of different groups in varied local and urban settings.
Our project will result in new and innovative policy instruments and governance arrangements that:
(a) recognise urban hyper-diversity as a positive aspect;
(b) increase interaction and communication between the diverse groups in urban society; and
(c) increase participation to satisfy the needs of the communities.
