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.
Culture Camp in Vinnytsia
Impact: A five-day international culture camp was held in Vinnytsia from 27 to 31 July 2021 in the city’s Peoples' Friendship Park. More than a hundred schoolkids, aged 8 to 17, were introduced to...
Units for Homeless - an inspiring action from Patras, Greece
Purpose: The purpose of these structures is to provide reception, daily living care, immediate health assistance, and psychosocial support to individuals and families facing homelessness or...
Empowering Roma Students
Purpose: The purpose of the collaboration between the Social Organisation of the Municipality of Patras and the University of Patras is to address the educational inequality and marginalization...
The Sherbrooke Intercultural Encounters Week (SSRI), an annual event for intercultural dialogue and understanding
This week is a great opportunity to encourage intercultural dialogue and understanding between Sherbrooke residents of all backgrounds and origins. Each year, a wide range of free activities are...
“The thousand faces of Sherbrooke”: a project to emphasise the plural reality and the diversity of the city
In order to make its plural reality visible, valued and recognised, Sherbrooke collaborated with the Humans of Sherbrooke collective to initiate the inspiring project "The thousand faces of...
The public library: a place for social dialogue
Purpose: The Public Library of Bergen aims to facilitate a learning hub centred around language and intercultural meetings between Norwegian residents and new-comers. Stimulus/Rationale: The...
Place based cultural development within Kirklees – focus on textiles and music
Purpose: The City of Kirklees launched place based cultural development running from 2018 until 2023, dealing with public spaces and community engagement through arts and culture. It aims to...
Il Centro per i giovani – an intercultural, educational project
Purpose: Working with and for new generations is a priority for the Intercultural Centre of the City of Turin. That is why – back in 2009 - the city has launched “Il centro per i giovani” (the...
Intercultural Council of Limassol
Purpose: The purpose of the Limassol Intercultural Council is to foster inclusive integration and promote intercultural understanding within the city of Limassol. By bringing together...
Ongi Etorri Eskolara!
Purpose: The programme aims at: Mainstreaming an intercultural approach in schools, by valuing the different cultures present at the school and by working with all the school actors, from directors...
Welcoming guide - communication
Purpose: In order to further enhance the work on Welcoming, and to encourage a positive perception of diversity and a participatory approach to citizenship, the municipality of Amadora has prepared...
Evaluation of the City of Geneva's diversity policy for the period 2016-2020
The City of Geneva publishes the results of the evaluation of its diversity policy for the period 2016-2020. Geneva is unlike any other of the cities which are member of the Intercultural Cities...
Valuing multilingualism
Purpose: The city of Sabadell provides a variety of services in the field of language competences. First, there are programmes targeting women and youngsters to improve language skills. In...
Anti-rumour toolkit for young people
Purpose: This manual aims to provide a specific response to professional teams (educators, teachers, tutors, etc.) who work with young people in order to be able to develop anti-Rumour actions and...
Diversity-Day
Purpose: Promote diversity within organisations and societies Process: At the initiative of the Diversity Charter, “Diversity Day” was launched in 2013 and since then has taken place annually in...
Urban Parks
Purpose: Urban space creation for intercultural mixing (as a result of international cooperation) Stimulus/Rationale: Odesa joined the ICC-Ukraine network in 2017 but its policies have been always...
Centre of language and literacy
Purpose: Centre of language and literacy is run by the Department of Education and Youth of the City of Reykjavik and implemented in co-operation with the Mother Tongue association. The main...
CLAIM – Migrant Integration Local Support Centre
Purpose: Foster the intercultural integration of migrants through the provision of support and information on several areas. The Local Centre for Migrant Integration (CLAIM) mission intends to go...
The Intercultural Week of Portimão
Purpose: The Intercultural week was envisioned to promote the sharing of experiences and the relationships between diverse citizens of Portimão, thus stimulating intercultural dialogue and raising...
Extraordinary Reception Centres
Purpose: The municipality’s management of the CAS aims at improving the quality level of the reception of asylum seekers. Stimulus/Rationale: The municipality’s management of the CAS aims at...
Tachles: Arab-Jewish Youth Club
Create a shared civic leadership while also bringing together diverse cultures. Tachles is a unique group in Haifa that brings together 150 Arab and Jewish teenagers, incorporating various groups...
Community – Police relationship
Mediation and conflict Resolution The goal of the programme is to increase the feeling of security among Haifa’s more vulnerable residents and neighbourhoods and to improve the police force’s...
Haifa Center for Dialogue and Conflict Management
Mediation and conflict resolution, capacity-building The Haifa Centre for Dialogue and Conflict Management works to strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for all of Haifa’s...
The Diversity Lab
Purpose: The municipality launched the Diversity Lab programme to explore the advantages of cultural diversity, with reference to new plural economies and open innovation processes. An...
Refugee reception and integration policies- pilot project
Purpose: The purpose of the pilot project for Refugee reception was to offer answers to questions about how intercultural integration and reception should be handled in the city in order to promote...
Together in the same direction (Juntas en la misma dirección)
Purpose: ‘Together in the same direction’ is a strategy for managing diversity that brings rigour and clarity to the actions to be implemented. This Strategic Plan also defines three main lines of...
Diverse Tenerife – Intercultural Strategy
Purpose: ‘Tenerife Lives Diversity’ is a strategic framework aimed at serving as a reference point for public administrations, associations and the citizens of the island of Tenerife, assisting...
OBITen - The Immigration Observatory of Tenerife
Purpose: The OBITen promoting scientific research into migratory movements on the island of Tenerife. It prioritises the need to apply theoretical knowledge to the planning and management of...
Grupo de Diálogo Interreligioso (Group of Interfaith dialogue)
Purpose: The group of interfaith dialogue promotes spirituality through knowledge and understanding of different beliefs and religious or spiritual developments with a learning attitude. The...
Maribyrnong - Regeneration with a Focus on the Holistic Community
Stimulus/Rationale: The City of Maribyrnong is within the municipality of Melbourne, Australia, and is one of the most multicultural municipalities in Victoria. It aims to be an ‘Intercultural...
Intercultural Interaction: collective healing and memory of this time
Purpose: Using storytelling to build connections, address fears and ease anxiety. Stimulus/Rationale: In 2020 the Cities of Ballarat, Melton and Maribyrnong launched a Storytelling project...
Statistics in help of city’s policy formulation
Purpose: The City of Salisbury’s Council policy formulation is heavily informed by demographic statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Stimulus/Rationale: Quantitative and qualitative...
Sister and Friendship City Policy
Purpose: The Australian City of Salisbury has an explicit policy to encourage international cooperation in the economic, scientific, cultural and other areas. Process: The “Sister City and...
Salisbury develops inclusive welcoming and participation actions
Purpose: The “Welcome to Salisbury Information Booklet” and the “Community Engagement Framework” improves the intercultural profile of the Australian city. Process: The comprehensive city-specific...
Public Participation Networks (PPN)
Purpose: A Network to enhance community participation in local government - Promotes social inclusion - Links citizens with local authorities Stimulus/Rationale: Public Participation Networks (PPN)...
Community Grants
Purpose: Encourage citizens’ participation and involvement in the city through access to public grants for community projects Process: Community Development is a process where community members...
Residents’ participation shows meaningful community engagement
Purpose: Salisbury seeks the participation of all residents through community workshops and surveys Process: The adoption of the Intercultural Strategic Plan 2017-2027 of the City of Salisbury was...
Erlangen-Nürnberg: University enables access to education for refugees
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...
Human Libraries
Purpose: Within the project "Braga: an Intercultural Journey", Human Library sessions are promoted in the schools of the municipality, until December 2021. The Human Library is a strategy of social...
Community action plan — community development (CAP-CD 2022-2023) of the city of Sherbrooke
In the interest of the residents’ quality of life, Sherbrooke wants to support community organisations in delivering projects related to the fields of activity identified in the Community and...
III Bilbao Intercultural City Plan
Purpose: The III Bilbao Intercultural City Plan aims to guide public policies, from an intercultural perspective, in order to strengthen social cohesion and urban development in the city. To this...
School Participatory Budgeting - Vinnytsia
Purpose: School participatory budgeting for community participation Stimulus/Rationale: Citizen participation in government decision-making is one of the common democratic principles of the Council...
Employment opportunities as a factor of cohesion
Purpose: Employment supporting cohesion Stimulus/Rationale: Process: In Manchester (United Kingdom), the Manchester International Festival’s Factory Academy partnered with the construction firm...
The Inclusive Anchors Network
In Leeds (United Kingdom), a group of the thirteen largest (primarily) public sector employers, including the city council, local universities and Yorkshire Water, have formed the Inclusive Anchors...
Cultural projects reflecting and promoting the diversity of Camden’s communities
Culture is at the centre of Camden Council’s work. It aims to deliver inspiring arts projects on Camden’s estates and neighbourhoods that are co-created, engage with the most disadvantaged...
Involvement of Camden’s communities in its urban planning
Camden always takes into account the diversity of the population in the design, renovation and management of new public buildings or spaces. The Camden Local Plan (2017) is the key strategic...
Information sharing with civil society and grassroots organisations on intercultural inclusion goals
Camden collaborates with civil society and grassroots organisations that are active in the various fields concerned by intercultural inclusion, through regular meetings but also information sharing...
Initiatives of hospitality in Camden
Camden is currently welcoming a number of Afghan evacuees for support from the Council, such as housing, health care, food and education (see Asylum Seekers and Refugees - Camden Council). The...
The inclusive employers toolkit
Purpose: Bradford Council champions inclusive business practices Stimulus/Rationale: Process: In Bradford (United Kingdom), the accountancy and consulting firm Grant Thornton have developed an...
Everyone different, Everyone matters
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,...