Spatial and Social Dynamics of Integration in European Neighborhoods

This project proposes to investigate how a sense of belonging is experienced, negotiated, and sometimes contested within residential neighborhoods across European cities, particularly among residents from diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds and with different residnetial trajectiries and different length o stays. It proposes to examin the spatial, social, and programmatic conditions that foster or hinder integration, with a focus on how urban design, community infrastructures, and local governance practices can shape everyday inclusion. By comparing porous, mixed, and more enclave-like urban environments, the study aims to identify pathways for strengthening everyday forms of belonging as a foundation for social cohesion, democratic participation, and resilient multicultural urban futures.