Cities and Cultures in movement. A Pragmatic and Place-Based Approach to Social Integration

In Europe migration has become a prevailing topic in the 21st century and integration policies play an important role. Yet, the current outcome of social integration lags behind the ambitions such as stipulated in various policy documents, hinting to a theory-practice gap. In order to reverse the most negative social and spatial implications resulting from ineffective integration management, it is necessary to adopt an approach that can bridge the theory practice gap. The approach forwarded in this paper is one that is pragmatic, process-oriented and place-based. Evidenced by two examples, it is argued that practical interventions that take place on the local scale and involve multiple and diverse actors, have the potential to positively influence the migrants’ integration. Additionally, an intercultural collaboration can foster capacity-building, thereby improving a cities capacity to deal with complex spatial problems