INTERCULTURAL CITIES

Joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission

WHAT IS AN INTERCULTURAL CITY?

the world in motion

Net Migration – EU25 (000s) (Eurostat)

-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

NETHERLANDS

LATVIA

ESTONIA

POLAND

SLOVAKIA

GERMANY

DENMARK

FINLAND

FRANCE

HUNGARY

SWEDEN

GREECE

BELGIUM

UK

LUXEMBOURG

CZECH

SLOVENIA

EU TOTAL

PORTUGAL

MALTA

ITALY

AUSTRIA

IRELAND

SPAIN

CYPRUS

Net migration per 1000 population (2005, Migration Policy Institute)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

SLOVENIA

MALTA

FINLAND

HUNGARY

ITALY

CZECH

LITHUANIA

BELGIUM

DENMARK

PORTUGAL

SLOVAKIA

SPAIN

EU TOTAL

GREECE

UK

NETHERLANDS

FRANCE

GERMANY

SW EDEN

CYPRUS

IRELAND

AUSTRIA

ESTONIA

LATVIA

LUXEMBOURG

Foreign-born as % of total population (2005, Migration Policy Institute)

the challenge

to Europe’s cities

NB. Small cities - 200-400,000 population; Medium cities - 0.4-1m; Large cities - 1m+

Declining city growth rates

(Turok, I. & Mykhnenko, V. (2006) Resurgent European Cities? http://www.cppr.ac.uk/media/media_5167_en.pdf

Signs of revival?

(Turok, I. & Mykhnenko, V. (2006) Resurgent European Cities? http://www.cppr.ac.uk/media/media_5167_en.pdf

European cities, 200,000+ population (2004, Eurostat)

how different countries manage diversity

No policy

Guest worker policy

Assimilation policy

Multicultural policy

Intercultural policy

Intercultural policy

Intercultural policy

Intercultural policy

National and mother tongue/ culture teaching. Intercultural competence for all. Desegregation.

Mother tongue language support. Religious and cultural education.

Emphasis on national culture. State ignores supplementary schooling

Enrol migrant children in schools

Ad hoc recognition of migrant children

Education

Anti-discriminatory lettings policy. Ethnic monitoring. Encouragement for ethnic housing mix

Anti-discriminatory lettings policy. Affirmative access to social housing

Equal access to social housing – non-ethnic criteria. Ignore discrimination in housing market

Short-term housing solutions; minimal regulation of private rental sector

Ignore migrant housing. React to crisis with temporary shelters

Housing

Anti-discrimination policy; intercultural competence and linguistic skills emphasised

Anti-discrimination policy; Affirmative action on training and hiring

General vocational support – non-ethnic criteria

Minimal regulation – limited vocational assistance

Ignore. Turn a blind eye to black market activity

Labour Market

State supports them as agents of integration

State supports them as agents of empowerment

States does not recognise them

Informal co-operation on limited issues

State ignores them

Minority group organi-sations

INTER- CULTURAL POLICY

MULTI- CULTURAL POLICY

ASSIMIL- ATIONIST POLICY

GUESTWORKER POLICY

NON-POLICY

Urban Diversity Policy Indicators

Cross-cultural leadership, asso- ciation and cons- ultation. Ackno- wledgement of hybridity.

Leadership, consultation and resource allocation ethnically-based

Facilitate naturalisation. No ethnic consultative structures

No rights or recognition

No rights or recognition

Governance and citizenship

Encouragement of ethnically mixed neighbourhoods and public space

Recognise enclaves and ethnic leadership. Area-based regeneration

Ethnic enclaves considered an urban problem. Dispersal policy

Ethnic enclaves tolerated but considered temporary

Ignore ethnic enclaves – disperse if crisis arises

Urban development

Campaigns to emphasise intercultural togetherness

‘Celebrate diversity’ festivals and city branding campaigns

Encourage tolerance of minorities, but intolerance of those not assimilating

Migrants as economically useful but of no political, social or cultural significance

Migrants as a potential threat

Public awareness

Police as agents of inter-ethnic conflict management

Police as social workers. Proactive anti-racism enforcement

High profile policing of migrant areas

Police as agents of migrant regulation, monitoring, deportation

Migrants as security problem

Policing

INTER- CULTURAL POLICY

MULTI- CULTURAL POLICY

ASSIMIL- ATIONIST POLICY

GUESTWORKER POLICY

NON-POLICY

Urban Diversity Policy Indicators

How do we think of migration and diversity?

A threat?

An opportunity?

A nuisance?

How might diversity UNDERMINE a city?

•Complexity

•Loss of cohesion

•Low civic commitment

•Job displacement

•Exploitation/exclusion/crime

•Indigenous backlash

diversity advantage

You get a richer environment, you have more insights, because people reason from their own background.

I’m sure of this because we’ve reaped the rewards. We have an absolute advantage from having many cultures

Stefano MarzanoCEO, Philips Design

How can cities make diversity their advantage?

How might diversity ENHANCE a city?

•Complementary skills

•Access to markets and capital

•Aspiration & entrepreneurship

•Cosmopolitan brand

•Creativity & innovation

Londoners believe the capital’s mix of cultures, languages and ethnicities is one of the best things about living in it. This enormous increase in the range of possibilities open to people will lead to more exchange and interaction as people choose from what is best in different cultures. This is increasingly important for Londoners’ jobs and incomes.

Ken LivingstoneMayor of London

the intercultural

approach

“…goes beyond equal opportunities and respect

for existing cultural differences, to the pluralist

transformation of public space, institutions and

civic culture….

Interculturalism

…cities should promote cross-fertilisation across all

boundaries, between ‘majority’ and ‘minorities’, ‘dominant’ and

‘sub’ cultures, localities, classes, faiths, disciplines and

genres, as the source of cultural, social, civic and economic innovation.“Intercultur

al innovation

= Diversity advantage

preconditions and

ingredients for an

intercultural city

Diversity alone is not a guarantor of prosperity

There need to be:

•Reasons to interact

•Incentives to interact

•Places, institutions and

agents of interaction

•A framework of rights and

equalities

•Openness

•Cultural literacy

•The intercultural lens

•Intercultural leaders

Creating the conditions for Diversity Advantage

Creating the conditions for Diversity Advantage

Openness

•Movement

•Residence

•Trade

•Faith

•Creative expression

Cultural literacy

•Seeing the city

through others’ eyes

•Telling the story of

the city in diverse

ways

Creating the conditions for Diversity Advantage

Seeing…

•Education

•City planning

•Transport

•Wealth creation

…through an intercultural lens

Creating the conditions for Diversity Advantage

City planning through an intercultural lens

If greater intercultural engagement was one of our priorities, how would we plan things differently?

•An open space

•A housing estate

•A downtown quarter

•A school?

The importance of Intercultural Places and Spaces

•Libraries

•Parks

•Children’s playgrounds

•Community centres

•Open markets

•Local cafes

All the places we risk losing as life becomes more privatised, commercial

and security conscious

The importance of Intercultural Places and Spaces

The importance of Intercultural Places and Spaces

The importance of Intercultural Leaders and Innovators

•Politicians

•Business people

•Inter-faith activists

•Social entrepreneurs

•Artists

•Sports people

INTERCULTURAL LEADERS & INNOVATORS

Cross boundaries

Go where others don’t go

INTERCULTURAL LEADERS & INNOVATORS

Build bridges

At great personal risk!

INTERCULTURAL LEADERS & INNOVATORS

Get

people working

together

INTERCULTURAL LEADERS & INNOVATORS

cities being intercultural

Palo AltoSingapore

Innovation

Toronto

City Strategy

Madrid

Citizenship

Torino

Conflict management

RotterdamConviviality

Leicester

Inter-faith

New institutions

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

MEASURING THE INTERCULTURAL CITY

• Isolation index

• Cultural mixing in housing and schools

• Inter-ethnic marriage

• New kinds of intercultural professions

• Cross-cultural business and civic networks

• Diverse cultural influences on built

environment

• Shared cultural celebrations

Possible indicators

Being intercultural…• Recognise difference – seek out similarities

• Highlight hybridity – downplay purity

• A single, diverse public sphere

• Resource the places where cultures meet

• Resource bridge-builders not gate-keepers

• Don’t avoid conflict – embrace it, manage it