Intercultural cities: good practice examples
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.
BizFeira - Bilateral overseas business development
Purpose: An online platform - BizFeira - that enhances entrepreneurship and internationalisation through establishing links between local business owners of all backgrounds with the Portuguese...
DNA Cascais: a creative approach to promote entrepreneurship
Purpose: DNA is a business incubator to: Develop innovative potential of young people Promote entrepreneurship Support the creation of new companies, organisation of seminars and conferences DNA...
Local Social Assessment (Diagnóstico social)
Purpose: To monitor citizens’ well-being, promote a participative and cohesive municipality and establish Networks that promote social development, fight poverty and social exclusion....
The Counsellor for Gender Equality
Purpose: The “Conselheira para a Igualdade” (Counsellor for Equality) is a person of reference appointed by the Cascais City Council to defend Gender Equality. Stimulus/Rationale: Gender Equality...
Database of refugees
Purpose: A database to protect private data and speed up the stream of information between different departments. Stimulus/Rationale: For a long time, data about refugees in Erlangen were...
”Engage in Copenhagen” – a three year inclusion programme
Purpose: ”Engage in Copenhagen” was a three year inclusion programme, designed to function as a catalyst for the Municipality of Copenhagen’s new inclusion policy and vision for the city, from...
Immigration City Erlangen
Purpose: Revising the relationship between migrants and receiving societies Stimulus/Rationale: There is a popular fallacy that dominates Europe's immigration discourse: understanding immigration...
Intercultural public space
Purpose: The purpose of these actions is to encourage the creation of spaces and opportunities for positive interaction and the generation of ties and relationships on equal terms....
Reggio Emilia – Burkina Faso: the true spirit of co-development
Purpose: In Reggio Emilia, the migrant inclusion is enhanced through projects for development cooperation with countries of origin. Creating thousands of workplaces for the agricultural development...
Anti-Rumour Web App
Purpose: A game to raise awareness of rumours and stereotypes that negatively affect coexistence in Bilbao. Rationale: Awareness-raising and the fight against discrimination is a priority line of...
Campus Rütli
Purpose: A segregated and failing school is transformed into a centre of educational excellence Stimulus/Rationale: The Rütli school had become notorious all over Germany in 2006, when the...
EMPO Multicultural Resource Center
Purpose: The EMPO Multicultural Resource Center acts as a resource centre for migrants through providing information and counselling that enable participants to develop their own resources to...
Barcelona Centre for Linguistic Normalisation
Purpose: The Consortium for Linguistic Normalisation (CPNL) is a public body created from the common will of the Regional Government and numerous local, county and provincial councils with the aim...
XEIX
Purpose: The XEIX project aims at promoting commercial associations as a meeting point and generation of neighbourhood identity. The project is about fostering intercultural relations in...
The Copenhagen Host Programme
Purpose: The aim of Copenhagen’s Host Programme is to facilitate encounters between newly arrived migrants and Copenhageners who wish to volunteer as hosts to promote integration into Danish...
Action Plan for Inclusion and Diversity
Purpose: The city council of Bergen wanted to formally adopt a public statement of its intentions as an Intercultural city. Stimulus/Rationale: The primary driver for this initiative was political...
The Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture (DCAI)
Purpose: The aim of the Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture (DCAI) is to create a national platform that reflects the diversity of Danish society in the cultural sector, by building intercultural...
A Smile of a Child
Purpose: Therapeutic hospitality for refugees Process: Melitopol has taken in very many Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) as a consequence of the troubles in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. “A Smile...
Democratic citizenship in Ansan
Under the Public Official Election Act of the Republic of Korea, only Korean nationals aged 25 or older may run for a local election. Those with foreign nationality are not allowed to be a...
Measuring cultural empathy
A sociological study on cultural competences in Ukraine, leading to policy development Melitopol is a city of the Azov region where, for more than 225 years, there has been a harmonious coexistence...
Barka
Purpose: Barka creates opportunities to return home for people facing homelessness or difficult social and economic situation, and they run a Social Economy Centre, supporting migrants on their way...
Setúbal - Office for Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities
Purpose: A transversal approach to managing intercultural issues on a municipality Stimulus/Rationale: The City Council, for more than a decade, has been working on the integration of immigrants,...
The Big Lunch
Purpose: A big lunch to promote community, friendship and fun Stimulus/Rationale: The Big Lunch is an idea which has grown in popularity across the UK, but the London Borough of Lewisham is...
Amadora Empreende
Entrepreneurship programme to encourage minorities business The Programme “Amadora Empreende” seeks to identify, in association with the youth and people in situations of social vulnerability,...
Integrated Impact Assessment
Purpose: Kirklees Council has developed an Integrated Impact Assessment process that is implemented when new services, policies or strategies are being developed or existing ones being changed or...
Shared Values
Purpose: Identifying shared values to build stronger communities Stimulus/Rationale: Values were identified as key by Bradford Council given how they underpin and motivate behaviours. They are...
Data collection and analysis to counteract discrimination: the case of Barcelona Discrimination Observatory
Purpose: The Barcelona Discrimination Observatory works, since 2018, to make visible any situations of discrimination in the city, and to contribute to the scale and design of the actions...
Policies to decrease inequalities and structural issues
Under the Equality Act 2010, the city runs Equality Impact Assessments. These ensure that they give due regard to equality, diversity, cohesion and integration when making key decisions on...
A common public space through cooperation
As part of the ‘Our Spaces’ Strategy[1], the city considers a number of principles, one of which is that ‘our spaces will be inclusive, designed for all ages, abilities and reflect Leeds’ diverse...
Equalities Assembly in Leeds
Local authorities have statutory obligations to consider equality in the United Kingdom (UK). The Equalities Assembly was set up by Leeds to ensure all diverse communities are involved in the...
Participatory Processes to Ensure Equal Access
Leeds organises an Equalities Assembly, participatory budgeting, intercultural dialogue platforms/round tables as well as MAP+ and the Migrant Community Networkers weekly drop-in. Additionally, the...
A Folk Doll’s Tale - Melitopol
Purpose: Fostering intercultural exchange and sharing traditions Process: Ms. Natalia Berenga, an artist of Belorussian origin from Melitopol, has been making rag dolls for quite some time but the...
Music of Words - Odessa
Process: In 2021, ICC Odesa launched an inspiring new annual initiative, the literary and musical Festival "Music of Words", to celebrate the variety of artistic expressions and creative arts that...
The DIVERSITY = INNOVATION project
Purpose: Monitoring the diversity of recruitment and promotion locally, and working with employers to champion diverse workplaces. Stimulus/Rationale: Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is...
Recruitment practices in favour of diversity in the workforce
Camden is involved with many local, regional and national organisations promoting diversity and non-discrimination in the labour market, including: Stonewall, a charity that works with institutions...
Campaigns and communication for inclusion
Purpose: Lisbon, Portugal, developed a programme (“Somos os Direitos que temos” – We are our rights) targeting more awareness towards diversity, human rights, and inclusion. The awareness of the...
Camden’s residents and the authorities building together a safe and welcoming borough
Camden has been carrying out surveys on the feeling of security/safety with respect to people with migrant/minority backgrounds. The Council has a community lead response to supporting communities...
Valladolid’s Plan for intercultural coexistence 2019-2023
Purpose: The Plan is a tool that develops a comprehensive policy of living together from an intercultural perspective and helps the city harness the potential of diversity. It also enables to...
Want to make your workplace more inclusive?
Purpose: Stimulus/Rationale: In 2021 the Italian municipalities of Novellara, Reggio Emilia, and the union of municipalities “Rubicone e Mare” were awarded an ICC intercity grant to develop...
ICC Strategies are in Place in all ICCUA Cities
Process: As of the end of 2021, all member cities of the ICC-Ukraine network had developed and four of them had officially adopted their ICC City Strategies, which represents a considerable...
Carrying out an Inclusive Economy Strategy for social and environmental value
Calderdale, United Kingdom, has committed to social value creation through its Inclusive Economy Strategy. All its procurement activity must be in line with social value requirements and...
Participatory mechanisms and initiatives encouraging all Camden residents to engage in political life and decision-making processes
Camden Council services work in a range of ways that enable all of Camden’s residents, in particular people with migrant/minority backgrounds, to voice their concerns, examples are: Communication...
Providing intercultural mediation in Camden: an efficient tool for a harmonious life in the borough
In Camden, intercultural mediation is provided in the neighbourhoods and on the streets actively seeking to meet residents and discuss problems. The Family Group Conference (FGC) offers a...
Gender equality: voices of the women in Camden
Camden Council put in place mechanisms to make sure that gender equality is respected in organisations that participate in the decision-making process on matters related to the inclusion of Camden...
Parks for Health: promotion of health assets for the local community
Camden is working with its neighbouring authority, Islington, on a joint project called Parks for Health. This major project seeks to change the passive focus of parks into active health assets for...
Mediation is a priority in Barcelona
Purpose: Different mediation services are in place with the aim of providing resources to municipal service professionals to facilitate intercultural communication and to prevent and resolve...
Lublin, Krakow and Wrocław together against hate speech
Purpose: This public awareness-raising initiative was undertaken by the three Polish cities: Lublin, Krakow and Wrocław, to address the burning problem of hate speech targeting minorities by...
Intercultural and integration strategy for the five-year period 2021-2025
The main activity consists in the development of an intercultural and integration strategy for the five-year period 2021-2025. The development of the strategy was entrusted to the Dublin City Local...
Barcelona’s Neighbourhood Plan
Purpose: The Neighbourhoods Plan (Pla de Barris) is a municipal initiative that implements social, economic, and urban actions to reduce inequalities between the city's neighbourhoods. It is an...
Roma school promoters
Purpose: To address the inequalities in the education system through a “school promoters” project. The School Promoters aims to achieve full schooling, school success and the socio-labour promotion...
Roma Strategy for the Bradford District (2021-2025)
Purpose: The aim of the Bradford District Roma Strategy is to improve engagement between statutory public services and the Roma community – through working with the community. Stimulus/Rationale:...
Pokretanje debate, omogućavanje razumevanja i stimulisanje akcije kroz istraživanje strukturalnog rasizma u Bergenu
Ciljane inicijative za podatke o jednakosti Svrha: Ovu istraživačku inicijativu preduzela je opština Bergen kako bi utvrdila kako manjinsko etničko stanovništvo doživljava način na koji se prema...
Migrant stories
Purpose: During COVID, the City of Erlangen, Germany, made a point of uplifting the stories of contributions by people with migrant backgrounds via their website and communications. These ranged...
Poboljšanje prikupljanja podataka o jednakosti u Belgiji
Strategija podataka o jednakosti odgovara na imperativ dostupnosti precizne slike stvarnosti i baze dokaza radi efikasnog osmišljavanja i unapređenja političkih rešenja za nejednakost. Okupljanje...
A welcoming app
Purpose: The Portuguese Network of Intercultural Cities (RPCI) has developed an app called Portugal Incoming. The app launched in 2019 is a major practical contribution to the integration of...
Promoting cultural participation and equal access to culture in Neuchâtel
This action promoting cultural participation was implemented in the frame of the intercultural strategy of the canton of Neuchâtel, which is based on the recognition of diversity, equality,...
The Leeds Learning Alliance
The Leeds Learning Alliance (LLA) is a consortium of organisations formed in 2019 by a group of leaders, aiming to improve education in Leeds, United Kingdom (UK). The Alliance is unusual in the UK...
Reducing barriers to naturalisation through information campaigns
The Zurich City Council is concerned that as many Zurich residents as possible should be able to participate in the direct democratic process. The more people participate, the more alive democracy...
Auckland’s minority advisory bodies
Purpose: Advisory bodies in Auckland to represent cultural minorities and deal with diversity matters. Stimulus/Rationale: The Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) is mandated through...
Auckland’s intercultural elections
Purpose: Initiatives to encourage minority communities to engage in political life. Stimulus/Rationale: Local elections take place in New Zealand every three years. Since 2016 Auckland’s election...
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week)
Purpose: A celebration of the culture and language of the 700,000 Māori people living in New Zealand. Stimulus/Rationale: As an intercultural City, Auckland celebrates and encourages the use of...
Auckland Council as an Inclusive Workplace
Purpose: Auckland Council has an inclusive workplace where all people can feel valued and respected, work flexibly and be part of an organisation that acts as a champion of diversity and inclusion....
The Quality of Life Framework
Purpose: Monitoring public perceptions of quality of life, including community, culture and social networks. Stimulus/Rationale: Auckland Council collaborates with other New Zealand councils to...
Close to Culture: Art, music and theatre prevent social exclusion and promote the democratisation of culture
Purpose: Apropa Cultura (Close to Culture) is a network of cultural facilities, such as theatres, concert halls, festivals and museums, whose main purpose is to encourage inclusiveness promoting...
Intercultural Hub
Purpose: Methodology and Tools for the Creation Intercultural Space to enhance intersectoral and inclusive participation in diverse communities Process: Vinnytsia (370,000 people) is the regional...
Culture is the basis of community sustainable development
Purpose: Policy for promoting inclusive participation through culture, to encourage a tolerant society and to develop moral principles of common life in an intercultural environment through...
Mondinsieme’ Assembly
Purpose: Citizen engagement and citizen participation are key elements for the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. Calling itself “La Città delle Persone” (the City of the People), the administration of...
Actions of the City of Reykjavik to improve participation in local elections
Purpose: The City of Reykjavik has initiated various practices to increase migrants´ participation in local political elections. One practice organised by the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association...
(Re)Writing our neighbourhood
Integrated Approaches for Active participation in social and civic life. Purpose: (Re)Writing our neighbourhood was a 3 year project implemented in three neighbourhoods in the city of Braga,...
Adaptation of Internally Displaced
Purpose: Promote adaptation and participation in the city life of newcomers (IDPs) Process: As a part of its Intercultural Strategy, the city authorities pay particular attention to facilitating...
Improving participation in local elections 2018
Purpose: to improve immigrants' knowledge about their voting rights and by this improve immigrants participation in elections; to produce accessible information about the elections in clear and...
Portimão Migrant Integration Plan
Purpose: Enhance the integration of migrants through a set of articulated actions implemented by a consortium of relevant local partners. Stimulus/Rationale: One of the strengths of the plan is the...
Festival delle Culture
Purpose: The project aims at fostering social participation and engagement and making the migrants’ association protagonists and responsible of the communication about the topic issues....
Measure to promote the participation of people with diverse cultural and native backgrounds in Barcelona participation areas
Purpose: The main purpose of this Government Measure is to make active “citizenship” real, enabling participation for all inhabitants of the city. This action emphasises and draws attention on...
Bilbao Immigration Council
Purpose: The Immigration Council of the Bilbao City Council was created with the vocation of supporting immigrants in their capacity to organise, dialogue, and make proposals for the formulation of...