SOCIAL POLIS - Social Platform on Cities and Social Cohesion

EU - European Commission

Social Polis is an open social platform for dialogue between scientific and policy communities and civil society practice networks, with the objective of developing a research agenda on the role of cities in social cohesion and key related policy questions. The agenda will be proposed to the 7th EU Research Framework Programme, and especially its "Socio-economic sciences and Humanities" Theme.
The overall objective is approached on two fronts: critical analysis of research to date, and construction of a social platform of networks for information gathering, dialogue and agenda-setting. The networks will be unrolled from the research and stakeholder cores from which the project will start, using snowball methods.

Since social cohesion concerns society as a whole, at multiple spatial scales, beyond issues of inequality, exclusion and inclusion, and across public, market and voluntary sectors, "Social Polis" assembles multiple dimensions of relevant debates (on economy, polity, society, culture, ethics) across the city as a whole and a variety of life spheres. To facilitate analysis of the highly interlinked dynamics involved in the issue, a range of specific fields affecting people's existence are focussed upon: welfare and social services; labour markets and economic development; built environment, housing and health; mobility, telecommunications and security; urban ecology and environment; governance; education and training; urban and regional inequalities; diversity and identity; creativity and innovation; neighbourhood development and grassroots initiatives; and social cohesion and the city as a whole. In addition, particular transversal dynamics running across these will be identified.