Abstract

The objective of this project is to analyze how diversity, of a cosmopolitan kind, or superdiversity, has been requested by political decision makers and part of urban planning and what factors and dynamics contribute to such configurations. Based on a qualitative approach, this research will focus on the mechanisms and strategies for accommodating cultural diversity in local spaces, exploring both the everyday experiences and cultural encounters, as well as the strategic and deliberative aspects of local governance networks.

In this sense, we ask how cultural diversity integrates processes of urban renewal, of city branding and of gentrification, focusing on subjects and strategies of local governance. That is, how do immigrants and ethnically diverse groups include the strategies of local governments and the urban spaces affected by them? The study takes place in the cities of Lisbon and Oporto.