EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Community engagement and community cohesion

Community engagement and community cohesion

Introduction

Community engagement and community cohesion are both current public policy priorities in many European cities. However, in today's age of rapid population change and 'super-diversity', these policy objectives have become increasingly contested and complicated. This report, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, looks at how these new structures of governance, such as community engagement, function in the context of these new challenges. Through three English case studies it provides ideas on how to promote community representation in ways that take account of diversity.

Description

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, there have been gaps in our understanding about how to promote community representation in ways that take account of diversity and population change. This research therefore explores:

whose views were being heard and whose were not;
what were the barriers to being heard and how they could be overcome;
how these barriers could be addressed in ways that would promote community cohesion, rather than increasing competition within and between communities.

Through three case studies, the study also identifies ways in which new communities can be involved effectively, together with more established communities, thereby increasing cohesion and mutual solidarity.

Background information

The report explores three case studies:

Coventry New Communities Forum
Oldham's Youth Council
Shared community events in Newham

Methodology

The research included focus groups, direct observations and over 100 interviews with community activists, local authority officers, councillors and professionals from voluntary sector organisations in three local authority areas, Coventry, Newham and Oldham.

Conclusions

The report provides the following conclusions:

new communities are keen to get involved and to have their views heard;
informal networks can provide valuable ways for local authorities to communicate with new communities, but traditional leaders do not necessarily represent the voices of women or younger people;
new communities are diverse themselves. But despite this diversity, new arrivals experience a number of common barriers, such as lack of information, difficulties in the use of English, lack of time, or barriers to recognition, making it more difficult for them to get involved or be heard;
these barriers are exacerbated by the growing fluidity and fragmentation of governance structures. This complexity poses problems enough for established communities who are already used to navigating their way around. For new arrivals the shifting landscape of service provision and governance is even more bewildering, making community engagement correspondingly more problematic;
the most appropriate way of engaging new communities, which may be dispersed across local authority areas, is not necessarily at the neighbourhood level. In addition, some of their concerns, such as jobs and language skills, may not be managed at neighbourhood level. Community engagement structures are needed at other levels too;
concerns about racism and prejudice were identified as barriers affecting engagement in structures of governance. However, more positively the research has identified a range of examples of promising practices addressing these challenges, involving new communities as part of wider strategies to promote cohesion. Community development support emerged as an important factor here.

Contact info

Joseph Rowntree Foundation
York
Phone: +44 (0)1904 629241
publications@jrf.org.uk

Publication date

/06/2008

Researcher

Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Links

For more information, please visit the website of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Download the 'community engagement & community cohesion' report (PDF, Eng, 280 kB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Keywords

Citizens' participation