Inclusive Cities March 2017 - May 2019

Overview

Inclusive Cities supports five UK cities* and their local partners to achieve a step-change in their approach towards integration of newcomers in the city. Drawing on ideas and experience from within Europe and innovative approaches from cities in the United States, it aims to support development of an approach which is:

• Strategic across the city administration
• Consistently uses positive messaging to develop an inclusive narrative for the city which informs and drives practice
• Local authority led, working in close partnership with business, public and voluntary sector organisations – including those not usually involved in integration – to achieve shared goals
• Identifies a number of priority areas which lead to practical initiatives which broaden opportunities for inclusion of all residents across the economic, social and civic life of the city, and
• Recognizes in particular the needs of children and young people

The project is a knowledge exchange initiative which allows the cities to reflect upon and develop their thinking in a number of ways:

• Peer learning and support between the participating cities
• Dedicated support from a project manager at the Global Exchange on Migration and Diversity who will inform the projects with specialist input – data, evidence, and examples of worldwide good practice and provide ongoing support to each of the cities
• Learning exchange with two US Cities, hosted by Welcoming America, a highly acclaimed initiative which supports the development of a shared narrative and inclusive practices among city administrations and their partners.

*The five participating cities are Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and Peterborough. London is participating in some aspects of the project as an associate member.

Topics

CitiesCivil SocietyIntegrationNeighbourhoodsPolicies

Regions

Europe

Methods

The project is a knowledge exchange initiative and this informs its structure and design. The project is facilitated by a dedicated project manager to both support the cities to reflect upon and provide feedback on their practice and to provide the relevant data, theory and practical examples of best practice from elsewhere. The project further includes a partnership and learning visit with Welcoming America to draw inspiration from their experiences in US cities.

This is a city led initiative and the project will facilitate peer learning between the five cities, with the project providing the space for meaningful sharing of best practice and feedback between the partners. Each city will lead on the development of a new narrative on inclusion and an action plan to deliver tangible outcomes over the course of the project.

Based on learning from previous GEM projects as to the most effective way to ensure traction for the project within a local authority context, each city will nominate two people who will actively engage in the project on behalf of the city:

• A senior official or elected representative to provide leadership and profile for the city’s initiative. This will either be an officer at Chief Executive, Director or equivalent level; or an elected official with appropriate mandate (Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Leader, Executive Member or equivalent)
• An operational lead official who has capacity to develop and drive forward progress day-to-day

Each city will appoint a Taskforce of local stakeholders who can advise and endorse the action plan, and act as champions to drive forward delivery in their own sectors. Membership will be entirely led by the city and tailored to its requirements but is likely to include significant local employers, relevant public sector agencies, voluntary and community sector, arts and leisure organisations.

The cities will meet three times over the two years as well as a five day learning visit to the United States in early 2018 alongside regular meetings and input from the project manager and specialist workshops where appropriate. In its final six months, the project will be evaluated and, if successful, may be rolled out to further UK cities with the original 5 cities acting as mentors and champions of the approach.

The first of the City Working Group meetings took place in Glasgow in October 2017.

Outputs

Inclusive practices for newcomers at city level and examples of innovation from overseas
Reports | Jacqui Broadhead | 2017

Building an Inclusive City Narrative
Other Publications | Jacqui Broadhead | 2018