EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Neighbourhood consultation in city districts

Neighbourhood consultation in city districts

Introduction

The objectives of the neighbourhood consultation in the Utrecht districts Leidsche Rijn and Vleuten-De Meern are to improve the supply of activities and facilities on offer and to strengthen social cohesion.

Problem

How can neighbourhood residents with different cultural and religious backgrounds be brought into contact with each other?

Description

In May 2004 interculturalisation was on the neighbourhood consultation agenda. Neighbourhood residents with different cultural origins met during this neighbourhood consultation and worked together to find solutions to problems in the neighbourhood.

Approach

A number of activities have been launched within the framework of neighbourhood consultation. These activities were intended to produce a list of the ideas, wishes and needs of the various neighbourhood residents in Leidsche Rijn and Vleuten-De Meern. This list was composed by the following methods:

In total, nineteen key informants from Leidsche Rijn and Vleuten-De Meern were subjected to a qualitative in-depth interview.
At different places in the neighbourhood, seventy residents were interviewed in street interviews based on a questionnaire.
An Internet survey.
Small-scale meetings and workshops, in which thirteen neighbourhood residents participated.
A debate, which took place in May 2004 in Leidsche Rijn, organised by Tumult and supported by Mex-it.

Results

Residents in the whole of Leidsche Rijn are willing to meet each other.
Both immigrant residents and native residents are of the opinion that the supply of facilities lags behind the demand for them.
The current supply of activities in Leidsche Rijn and Vleuten-De Meern mainly involves separate activities. This does nothing to improve contact between immigrant and native residents.
Residents are experiencing a decline in social contact among street, neighbourhood and district residents. These mutual contacts must be recreated in a natural way and not imposed.
Low-threshold activities must be encouraged in the future.

Contact info

Mex-it, Intercultural Management Consultants
M. Baba, tel. +31 20 47550000

Project start date

01/05/2004

Links

Mex-it, Intercultural Management Consultants (in Dutch)Neighbourhood Council Leidsche Rijn (in Dutch)Neighbourhood website Vleuten-De Meern (in Dutch)Neighbourhood website Leidsche Rijn (in Dutch)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Keywords

Citizens' participation