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Intercultural cities: good practice examples

The Intercultural city aims at building its policies and identity on the explicit acknowledgement that diversity can be a resource for the development of the society.

The first step is the adoption (and implementation) of strategies that facilitate positive intercultural encounters and exchanges, and promote equal and active participation of residents and communities in the development of the city, thus responding to the needs of a diverse population. The Intercultural integration policy model is based on extensive research evidence, on a range of international legal instruments, and on the collective input of the cities member of the Intercultural Cities programme that share their good practice examples on how to better manage diversity, address possible conflicts, and benefit from the diversity advantage.

This section offers examples of intercultural approaches that facilitate the development and implementation of intercultural strategies.

Template for collection of Good practices >>

Integration project for newly arrived refugees with urban farming

Norway Bergen 2019-2023

Purpose: The project aims to create sustainability through urban farming and distributing the harvest of urban farming to restaurants, and to integrate newly arrived refugees by involving them in...

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“Lublin for All” Project for strengthening intercultural approaches in collaboration with Canton of Neuchâtel

Switzerland Poland Neuchâtel Lublin 2012-2014

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to design and test a participatory system of diversity management in the city of Lublin and to learn from the experience of the Swiss canton ofNeuchâtel in...

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Barcelona Municipal Immigration and Refuge Council

Spain Barcelona Since 1997

Purpose: The Barcelona Municipal Immigration Council (Consell Municipal d'Immigració de Barcelona, CMIB) is an advisory and participatory body of the Barcelona City Council and was established in...

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Lublin’s Civic Dialogue Committee

Poland Lublin 2021 - ongoing

Purpose: Lublin’s Civic Dialogue Commission for the City Support System for the Integration of Migrants constitutes a key element of Lublin's participatory system for managing cultural diversity....

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“Faces of Lublin” awareness raising campaign

Poland Lublin 2014

Purpose: This public awareness campaign was undertaken by the City of Lublin to strengthen the image of Lublin as an intercultural city by promoting the diversity of its residents through an...

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Erlangen: Digital inclusion in the time of crisis, while extending life of IT products

Germany Erlangen 2020

Purpose: With the Covid-19 pandemic, the topic of digitisation has become even more important. At times, participation was only possible digitally. However, the need for digital equipment is not...

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Utilising waste land to build community, local resilience, and employment

United Kingdom Calderdale 2022

The largest employer in one of the most deprived areas of Calderdale, United Kingdom, is a voluntary organisation that has created a green kitchen building in a community garden on a piece of...

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The inclusive employers toolkit

United Kingdom Bradford 2022

  Purpose: Bradford Council champions inclusive business practices Stimulus/Rationale: Process: In Bradford (United Kingdom), the accountancy and consulting firm Grant Thornton have developed an...

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Everyone different, Everyone matters

United Kingdom Calderdale 2022

In Calderdale (United Kingdom), the local authority has led the development of a social cohesion strategy, produced in consultation with the local public, under the banner of ‘everyone different,...

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The Office for Religious Affairs: a comprehensive approach

Spain Barcelona Since 2005

Purpose: The Office of Religious Affairs (OAR) of the Barcelona City Council is a municipal service whose main objective is to serve as a reference point for religious and spiritual matters, as...

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Barcelona Intercultural Plans

Spain Barcelona 2010 - ongoing

Purpose: The Barcelona Intercultural Plan (2010) was a mandate of the City Council’s Immigration Working Plan 2008 and its main goal was to define a clear intercultural policy strategy about how...

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Creating the conditions for an equality data strategy in Ireland

Ireland Since 2020

Equality data is of critical importance and significant interest to all those involved in this initiative. It is required to feed into the policy cycle to enhance evidence-based policy making in...

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Reaching a point from which to take action in Oslo

Norway Oslo 2022

Purpose: Oslo Municipality undertook a research initiative to gather data on experiences of discrimination, alongside an initiative to develop indicators to measure progress made in response to the...

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Territorial and cultural equity in Montréal – Population focus

Canada Montreal 2020

Targeted Equality Data Initiatives Purpose: Population data is gathered and analysed to inform and guide the design and implementation of city interventions, ensuring they are as just and...

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Erlangen-Nürnberg: University enables access to education for refugees

Germany Erlangen 2017

Purpose: A database to protect private data and speed up the stream of information between different departments. Stimulus/Rationale: In 2015, four times as many people fled to Europe from their...

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The Successful Roma of Pavlohrad

Ukraine Pavlograd 2012-2018

Purpose: Integration of Roma population into the city's social life; encouraging Roma community, fighting negative stereotypes. Stimulus/Rationale: Pavlohrad has a large community of Roma people,...

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A pioneer plan to combat Islamophobia

Spain Barcelona Since 2017

Purpose: The City Council of Barcelona adopted a plan to prevent hate crimes, raise awareness and provide victim support services. The Plan aims at raising awareness on Islamophobia as a serious...

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Intercultural Education as a part of a School Curriculum

Ukraine Sumy 2017

Purpose: To teach school kids values of tolerance, respect to different cultures, and ethnic conflicts prevention Process: In 2017, Sumy school #18 officially established intercultural education as...

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Households welcome migrants!

Italy Fermo January - February 2018

Purpose: The initiative is as an experiment of social innovation aimed at strengthening local community resilience: some of the migrants hosted in the City had the possibility of completing their...

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Intercultural Map of Melitopol

Ukraine Melitopol 2017

Process: One out of five main dimensions of the ICC Strategy of Melitopol is intercultural tourism and hospitality. It is along the lines of this dimension that the local ICC coordinator launched...

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Educa programme

Portugal Cascais 2011 - ongoing

Purpose: To create a group of immigrant or immigrant descendent mediators (giving them training and support) in order to develop activities of animation and mediation in contexts signalled by the...

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Peer-to-Peer Project Addiction Aid for Refugees

Germany Berlin-Neukölln 2017 onwards

Purpose: Drug prevention for refugees Stimulus/Rationale: Process: The project targets refugees and provides training in drug prevention and addiction aid. The training programme is elaborated...

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Participation Scheme

United Kingdom Swansea

Purpose: Working in partnership and residents’ consultations are at the core of Swansea’s way of planning and evaluating policies. Process: In Swansea priorities, plans, budget, social services,...

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Supporting Culturally Diverse NGOs

Spain Donostia-San Sebastian 2010

Purpose: Support culturally diverse NGO to enhance participation of migrants, ethnic minorities and local citizens in the life of the city and to mainstream the intercultural approach. Process: The...

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Career counselling for SPRAR beneficiaries

Italy Ravenna 2017

  Purpose: The action aims to analyse the working background of refugees and asylum seekers taken in charge by the SPRAR programme and to give them useful information and advice for the job search....

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Workshops, books, exhibitions, music, theater, workshops and sports against racism

Italy Ravenna 2018

Purpose: The Week stimulated a process of confrontation and exchange aimed at preventing and combating phenomena of intolerance, discrimination and racism. Stimulus/Rationale: On the occasion of...

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Italy - Learn Arabic!

Italy Reggio Emilia 2016

Purpose: This is a project in collaboration with the Local Health Authorities to improve linguistic cultural relations between foreign citizens and health services. Stimulus/Rationale: In 2011 the...

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Muraliza - Mural Art Festival

Portugal Cascais 2014-2017

Purpose: Arts overcome cultural and ethnic differences bringing people together - A project that reshapes the historic centre of the city Arts have the uncanny ability to overcome cultural and...

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The International Cultural Network of Stavanger

Norway Stavanger 1982-

Purpose: The International Cultural Network (INK) is an organization running in Stavanger whose main goal is to encourage social cohesion and inclusion. INK was founded in 1982 and now has almost...

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OXLO - Oslo Extra Large. A long-term city-wide awareness-raising campaign for diversity

Norway Oslo 2001-

Purpose: OXLO - Oslo Extra Large is a long-term awareness-raising campaign initiated by the Mayor of Oslo. Through this campaign the City of Oslo is striving to make Norway’s capital a more...

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OMOD - Scrutinizing Oslo public services through an intercultural lens

Norway Oslo 1993-

Purpose: OMOD Center for Social Justice is a volunteer organization against institutional discrimination that provides information, advice, and assistance to organisations in the area of race...

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The Next Door Family

Spain Donostia-San Sebastian Since 2012

Purpose: The project “Bizilagunak: La Familia de al lado” gathers migrant families and Basque families together. The project operates on a local area, focusing on building relations among families...

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Todos – Walk of Cultures

Portugal Lisbon 2009- ongoing

Purpose: To celebrate Lisbon as an intercultural city, promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue Stimulus/Rationale: A nomadic festival of intercultural festival which reintegrates...

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Refugee Welcome and Integration Network

Spain Cartagena 2017 - ongoing Cartagena, Spain

Purpose: On 24 May 2017, the City Council of Cartagena (Murcia - Spain) launched the Refugee Welcome and Integration Network to address the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the municipality,...

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Building interfaith partnerships

Italy Reggio Emilia 2016

Purpose: The project, led by the municipality’s urban planning and architecture department, aims firstly at identifying and mapping the presence of different religious communities. The action goes...

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Somalia Bandy

Sweden Borlänge Ongoing

Purpose: The purpose is to use sports as a means for social integration of young Somali refugees, especifically the ice hockey form Bandy. Stimulus/Rationale: The team was set up by a local...

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Fargespil (Kaleidoscope)

Norway Bergen 2016

Purpose: To foster experiences of both alikeness and the richness of diversity by bringing different young actors representing different national music and dance traditions together in a musical...

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Designing intercultural public space

United Kingdom London-Lewisham 2006 onwards

Purpose: Involving the whole community in shaping the future of Lewisham’s open space. Stimulus/Rationale: In 2006-7 the Borough of Lewisham conducted research into public attitudes. Residents...

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Mångkulturellt Centre, Fittja

Sweden Botkyrka 2016

A diversity research and popular dissemination centre with local and international scope The Multicultural Centre is a municipal foundation engaged in research, education and cultural activities....

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LUCIDE

Germany Hamburg 2016

A network of cities seeking to develop ideas about how to manage multilingual citizen communities LUCIDE is a network seeks to develop ideas about how to manage multilingual citizen communities....

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Opening Doors: The Logan Police/Ethnic Communities Partnerships Project

Australia Logan 2016

Building trust between police and ethnic minority communities Logan City was growing rapidly and overseas migration and there was concern that levels of trust between young migrants and the Police...

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Neighbourhood Pacts

Italy Reggio Emilia 2016

Purpose: The goal of this initiative is to adopt consultative and participatory methods with all residents, users and property owners, in order to develop a strategic plan of the City for physical,...

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The value of a city Integration Charter

Germany Erlangen 2016

Erlangen sets out its values and principles The City of Erlangen is becoming more and more multicultural and, today, about the 34% of its inhabitants have a migration background. In order to...

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NEUCHÀTOI

Switzerland Neuchâtel 2016

A community conducts a dynamic open discussion of its evolving identity Neuchàtoi is an ongoing campaign and dialogue platform to create an open discussion of how the city of Neuchâtel is evolving...

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“Zambujal Gets Better!” - project

Portugal Amadora ongoing

Ethnic mixing and skills development as part of a general rejuvenation of a city district Purpose: The Programme “Zambujal Gets Better” was brought into life in partnership with the Municipality of...

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Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation

Norway Oslo 2005–2022

Purpose: Oslo City Council’s Office for Business Development has taken an active stance on integrating minority businesses through The Norwegian Center for Multicultural Value Creation, which is...

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The Human Rights Film Festival

Spain Donostia-San Sebastian Since 2003

Purpose: The Human Rights Film Festival is an initiative that uses the power of the cinema to promote a culture of peace and respect for human rights, becoming a great agent of social change. The...

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Increasing awareness about Islam and reducing anti-Muslim stereotypes

Ukraine Lutsk 2018

Purpose: “Interpretation of Surahs of the Quran” is an initiative aimed to dismantle stereotypes about Islam and the Muslim world in general, to build a peaceful intercultural society in Ukrainian...

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Interkulcultural Mediation at the Rixdorfer Primary School

Germany Berlin-Neukölln 2018 onwards

Purpose: Mediating between cultures and languages to promote intercultural integration at schools Stimulus/Rationale: Process: Berlin-Neukölln supports the organisation “LebensWelt” (“Living...

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The Intercultural Calendar

Germany Berlin-Neukölln 2018 onwards

Purpose: A calendar for different religious, cultural and international celebrations Stimulus/Rationale: Process: Together with the integration representatives of each Berlin district, Neukölln...

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