Francesco is the president of the Cuneo City Centre’s Neighbourhood Committee, an elected body which is tasked with collecting the local community’s needs, requests and proposals and transmitting them to the municipality. Francesco explains how the city centre of Cuneo, a town located in Piedmont (Italy) with a population of around 50 thousand inhabitants, has passed from being the most elegant neighborhood of Cuneo to becoming the most challenging area. For further insights into the social fabric of this neighborhood, refer to the publication “Country report on social relations, individual attitudes and migrant integration experiences – Italy“.
Native residents and shopkeepers have moved away while the presence of people coming from other continents has substantially increased. The coexistence between long term residents and newcomers is multifaceted and develops through conflicts, compromises, and cooperation. Francesco and the Neighbourhood Committee have to navigate this complexity to build a renewed, cohesive community.
This is the second of a series of videos which aim to showcase stories of community-making giving voice to individuals within small and medium-sized towns and rural areas. Stay tuned for more stories as we continue exploring social cohesion between newcomers and long-time residents in small towns across and beyond Europe.
For over two years, Whole-COMM has explored the integration of post-2014 migrants in 49 small and medium-sized towns and rural areas in 8 EU countries, Turkey and Canada. The project’s extensive collection of working papers, reports, and policy briefs contributes to the shaping of innovative and effective policies across various levels, engaging European, national, and local stakeholders. As a matter of fact, the project actively promotes international events, such as Labs held in Toronto and Florence, as well as the collaborative workshop in Brussels. Whole-COMM aims to foster the development of more cohesive and resilient communities able to proactively embrace transformative change.
