Making space: encouraging interactions between recent migrants and long-term residents in smaller communities

Abstract

Whole-COMM research in small- and medium-sized towns and rural areas in nine European countries revealed that recent migrants (those arriving since 2014) and long-term residents tended to have few meaningful relations or interactions with each other. Everyday encounters often remained limited to necessary exchanges and did not extend to deeper contact that would enable the building of long-lasting relations. Based on this finding, this policy brief offers suggestions on how to increase the possibilities for encounters between recent migrants and long-term residents, with the ultimate aim of improving integration experiences and social cohesion. It recommends that local governments provide resources to make getting together possible and collaborate with civil society, philanthropy, and migrant-owned businesses to organize events that foster intergroup interaction. It also suggests that local governments redesign public spaces and initiatives, or create new ones, that are codesigned or informed by residents, including migrants, to ensure that they are of interest and accessible to the wider community.