Networks and cities' news

‘Migrant crisis’: what can cities learn about new service design?

A message from Sicily

There’s been a lot of recent talk about the additional pressure new migrant arrivals place on public services. There has been less discussion about how cities – and it is mainly cities – are coping with this. And less still about what we are learning and the implications for future public services.
 

This was the focus of a recent Social Innovation Europe event in Siracusa Sicily. Meeting on one of Europe’s front lines gave us the chance to see what’s happening and to hear about lessons emerging from our recent experiences. We were particularly interested to examine the range of social innovations emerging to meet new service demands.

This article shares some of these new service examples. It also considers what they tell us about the new service design dynamics they reflect. Finally, we conclude with reference to Ezio Manzini's call for a new narrative around migrants, aligned to a design-led approach to service development.

‘Migrant crisis’: what can cities learn about new service design?

A message from Sicily

There’s been a lot of recent talk about the additional pressure new migrant arrivals place on public services. There has been less discussion about how cities – and it is mainly cities – are coping with this. And less still about what we are learning and the implications for future public services.
 

This was the focus of a recent Social Innovation Europe event in Siracusa Sicily. Meeting on one of Europe’s front lines gave us the chance to see what’s happening and to hear about lessons emerging from our recent experiences. We were particularly interested to examine the range of social innovations emerging to meet new service demands.

This article shares some of these new service examples. It also considers what they tell us about the new service design dynamics they reflect. Finally, we conclude with reference to Ezio Manzini's call for a new narrative around migrants, aligned to a design-led approach to service development.

‘Migrant crisis’: what can cities learn about new service design?

A message from Sicily

There’s been a lot of recent talk about the additional pressure new migrant arrivals place on public services. There has been less discussion about how cities – and it is mainly cities – are coping with this. And less still about what we are learning and the implications for future public services.
 

This was the focus of a recent Social Innovation Europe event in Siracusa Sicily. Meeting on one of Europe’s front lines gave us the chance to see what’s happening and to hear about lessons emerging from our recent experiences. We were particularly interested to examine the range of social innovations emerging to meet new service demands.

This article shares some of these new service examples. It also considers what they tell us about the new service design dynamics they reflect. Finally, we conclude with reference to Ezio Manzini's call for a new narrative around migrants, aligned to a design-led approach to service development.

Ana and her way to school

This is a story about Ana. I met her, when I was paying a visit to one of the SCHOOLHOODs cities. Ana told me what she likes about school and what she does not like. To my surprise, she likes her way to school the least about going to school. Talking with her I found that on her way to school she lacks fun, other children and doing the trip at her pace, ‘her way’, as she names it. Ana told me as well that she can’t wait to get to school after the summer break though. She said “I DID not like how I go to school. In the past.” Since now, Ana and her parents joined a work group that is making the well-being of children their top priority. Starting with how children go to school. Ana was enthusiastic to tell me about how they will change the way pupils come to school. “No more car trips”, she smiled, “Okay, maybe some,” she admitted, “But we will walk, scoot, cycle to school. And meet in front of the entrance to play before the school bell calls us in.”

But let’s start this story at its beginning. When Ana told me that it is her way to school that she likes least of all about school…

Protecting Human Rights in a difficult political climate … 18 Months into the WELDI Network

The URBACT network, WELDI, brings together ten cities committed to using human rights as a benchmark for their migrant reception policies. At the core of our approach is the  idea that human rights are not only legally binding but also crucial for improving cities and their quality of life for everyone.

Regrettably the current political climate presents challenges to these ambitions. The EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum prioritizes migration management over human rights, lowering procedural standards and shifting refugee protection to countries with well-documented human rights abuses. Meanwhile, national governments in the Netherlands, Sweden, and France have curtailed migrant rights, and across the EU, political forces actively spread anti-migrant prejudice, undermining social cohesion.

In this hostile environment, WELDI cities offer a beacon of hope. Leveraging their local autonomy and harnessing the power of local networks, they foster inclusive communities, where migrants and long-term residents thrive together. This article outlines the progress of our work so far.

Recap of the 8th Transnational Meeting in Bijelo Polje: One Step Further in the Fight Against Social Isolation 

From March 3 to 5, 2025, the city of Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, hosted the 8th Transnational Meeting (TNM) of the Breaking Isolation network. This key event of the URBACT IV program brought together 8 partner cities in person and 2 more online, reaffirming the collective commitment of European actors in the fight against social isolation.