Open Cities, Closed Communities
"Embracing Diversity, Achieving Equal Opportunities"
Integrating Cities III Conference in Berlin, organized by EuroCities and the European Commission, as part of the EuroCities project on 'Diversity and Equality in European Cities'Report by Helmer van der Heide, photo's by Janne Tervonen
Ingeborg Junge-Reyer, Berlin
Senator for City Development
photo JT
The association of cities to promote cross-border social policy exchange in Europe, EuroCities, organized their third conference on Integrating Cities in Berlin on the 2nd April 2009. This way cities should in cooperation with the European Commission contribute towards shaping a common European policy on urban governance. Cities and municipalities are the lowest level of governance. This means they are often implementing national policies. Thus being confronted with the effects of national policies, at the same time being confronted with social problems, mostly concentrated extremely in urban areas.
Audience of the Integrating Cities III
Conference, Roter Rathaus, Berlin
photo JT
This years conference had as venue the big hall of the 'Roter Rathaus', the office of the hosting governing mayor of Berlin. Present where (vice-)mayors, high ranking civil servants and researchers of mostly northern European cities, such as Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Helsinki, Rotterdam and Stockholm. The conference was titled "Embracing Diversity, Achieving Equal Opportunities". Two themes where central on this one-day-conference. The positive acknowledgement of diversity, brought to cities by immigrants and the, inevitable effort of integrating those immigrants. The speeches held by many city representatives stressed the importance to acknowledge or, as the title suggests, embrace diversity. This spoke most clearly from one of the study groups on campaigning. Most city campaigns celebrated the fast diversity making up a vibrant metropolis of inventive, creative and active individuals. Those campaigns linked the global ambient to the locality of their city, thereby creating identification with or a feeling of belonging to the city.
Ahmed Aboutaleb,
Mayor of Rotterdam
photo JT
Of course the emphasis on embracing diversity, the chances and potentials it offers the city, signals the problems with accepting this diversity. More precisely, it draws the attention on the social problems or equal opportunities of those that make up that diversity; immigrants. Immigrants are overrepresented in those populations that are socially and economically in precarious situations. Whether it be of languages barriers, relative low education, labour market access, social and cultural conflicts or financial unstable situations. When economic problems, like the global financial crisis, results in social tension, and when the state has to cut in social welfare services, they will be the ones that will suffer most severely. Many cities have extensive programmes and plans to counter these problems in the various roles that the city takes towards its citizens. As a provider of goods and services, by intensifying early education, languages courses, but also as a buyer of goods and services or as mostly the biggest employer of the city, committing themselves to integration goals, discussing how to monitor integration.
Remarkable was the contrast between the principle attitude towards integration and immigrants voiced by the Rotterdam mayor and most other officials. Aboutaleb and his colleague brought to attention that, with increasing diversity and a lack of attention to integration, people develop a feeling alienation and fear. The need for a stronger cohesion, in which it is the immigrants have to also immigrate culturally into their new society. To take up responsibility and show willingness to integrate through participation, involvement and the notion that rights come with duties. But the clearest bottom-line was made by demanding the acceptance of certain non-negotiable values.
Tendency among other city governors was rather to put emphasis on accepting, embracing and encouraging diversity. Changes and efforts are, mostly by German officials directed to the state through improving the equality of access to public services. Is this because Germany still has to deal with accepting diversity, whereas the Netherlands past this station and is more concerned with the cohesion within its society as commissioner on migration and integration for the Berlin senate mister Piening said. Or could it be the result of a very specific nationalized debate, Dutch public debate on integrations is highly polarized, where Dutch society in fact still has to deal with accepting diversity and in currently in dire need of redefining its own identity?
