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| Tuesday, 22 May 2007 | |
In this section of the EoCF website it is possible to download documents and publications related to the EoCF work an activities.Paper: Democratic Urban CivitasAuthor: Léonce Bekemans ABSTRACT: Cities are increasingly seen as economic, political and social assets in the changing European societies. They are hubs for diversity, integration and intercultural meetings and are of vital importance to mobilize citizens. Being the closest level of governance to citizens cities have an important responsibility to put in place structures and mechanisms that allow citizens to actively participate at all levels of democratic life. Cities'experiences and (innovative) practices of democratic processes are therefore very relevant when developing a new (plural, democratic) citizenship. Within the emerging new urban environment, culture and intercultural dialogue are mobilising sources in building a democratic "urban civitas". The working hypothesis of this paper is the importance and relevance of the creative urban edge of cities in developing active citizenship. Cities are seen in today’s Europe as major vehicles to create an “urban civitas”, representing local communities of diversified values and practices at citizen level. They are changing places where tradition is continuously confronted with modernity. They may offer inclusive and democratic environments for practicising intercultural dialogue. They may offer inclusive and democratic environments for practising intercultural dialogue. In a first part we present the broad conceptual context in which cities operate as meeting places, confronting past, present and future in various aspects of material and immaterial societal life. In a second part we analyse the challenges and opportunities of cities in building creative and sustainable urban realities in Europe. The last part deals with the policy conditions of urban democratic governance, conducive for citizens' participation and intercultural dialogue practices. Download paper: Urban environment of intercultural dialogue in Europe: why cities matter in buiding a democratic urban civitas
Paper: Multiculturalism in the European CapitalAuthors: Koen De Wandeler, Annette KuhkABSTRACT: Brussels derives much of its international first-name familiarity from being the Capital of Europe. Local inhabitants are far more hesitant to take this European dimension for granted: they tend to consider “Europe” as a newcomer who is yet to establish a proper identity amidst an exceedingly multifarious host society. The Brussels Capital Region has an intrinsically pluralistic tradition: its nineteen constituent municipalities have always been relatively autonomous and managed to keep a distinctive character. This tradition was valuable when accommodating the multiplication of authorities that ensued from the federalisation of the Belgian State. Besides the municipalities and the Belgian federal government bodies, different regional governments and representations of the French- and Dutch-speaking communities came to be part of the city’s institutional landscape. European institutions have been adding another layer to that unique administrative set-up, but at a level that only vaguely relates to local concerns and realities. Indeed, as the institutional maze grew denser, Brussels evolved into an increasingly complex patchwork of social, cultural and ethnic intricacies. Since the 1960s, migrant populations have increased to the point of outnumbering local populations in several municipalities. Original inhabitants left the city. In the 1980s and 1990s, they have been replaced by successive waves of migrants that grew increasingly diversified in terms of geographic origin, linguistic or religious affiliation, and ethnic belonging. Latin-Americans, Anglophone refugees from sub-Saharan countries, Southern- and Eastern Europeans, all came to add to the multicultural diversity of the city. This influx exceeded the absorption capacity of the host population and fragmented its overall majority. Cultural and ethnic diversity was exacerbated by social and economic disparities, which lead to distinct spatial settlement patterns. This trend occurred among migrant groups as well as among more privileged Eurocrats, especially after the enlargement of the EU in 2004. Municipal and regional authorities are thus confronted with a situation in which prolonged and excessive immigration has obliterated the preponderance of their initial host population (and of their electoral basis). How to manage this multicultural diversity? How to encourage all groups to coexist and avoid that they would turn upon themselves and away from others? How to foster social cohesion, when aspirations, time horizons , means and motivations of the different groups involved are so vastly divergent? Many cities, both in developed and in developing countries, have gracefully channelled differences among their national populations as well as between natives and immigrants. For Brussels, Europe and the emergence of a conscious European citizenship offer a test-case, and potentially, a powerful leverage to handle the ‘explosion of differences’ that the city is facing now. Download the paper: Brussels: Multiculturalism in the European Capital |
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