Central themes
This Working Group focuses on urban neighbourhoods and local communities. We are interested in the social mechanisms behind and the implications of concentrated poverty and deprivation, segregation between various socio-economic groups, and broader social inequalities between residents.
Other topics of interest are social networks, social capital or social cohesion, and neighbourhood effects, as well as policies targeting these matters, such as social mix and de-concentration policies.
Another focus concerns the question how neighbourhoods and their residents deal with the impacts of macro trends such as welfare state retrenchment, austerity regimes, and budget cuts.

Central themes
This Working Group focuses on urban neighbourhoods and local communities. We are interested in the social mechanisms behind and the implications of concentrated poverty and deprivation, segregation between various socio-economic groups, and broader social inequalities between residents. Other topics of interest are social networks, social capital or social cohesion, and neighbourhood effects, as well as policies targeting these matters, such as social mix and de-concentration policies. Another focus concerns the question how neighbourhoods and their residents deal with the impacts of macro trends such as welfare state retrenchment, austerity regimes, and budget cuts.
While quantitative modelling has become prominent in the workshop, we very much welcome qualitative research. Furthermore, we are particularly keen to discuss new approaches focussing on analysis of register data, (linked) open data and social media feeds, specialised evaluation approaches (e.g. realist evaluation) and mixed-methods designs that innovatively combine qualitative and quantitative approaches. The workshop has always maintained very high standards in the research it selects and it is intended that this approach will continue.

Activities and output in recent years
Summary of the Tirana conference
In 2017, the Working Group convened once, at the conference in Albania. We had 11 papers scheduled over four sessions. We had two people contact us to say they were unable to come to the conference and two no shows, leaving 7 papers in three sessions. There was a good spread from across Europe (2 from Sweden, 1 from Belgium, 1 from Turkey, 1 from Hungary, 1 from the UK, and 1 from the USA).

While numbers of delivered papers is down on the previous years, this was to be expected given the reduced size of the conference in Tirana. We had two people pull out before the conference, one worryingly could not get her payment processed by the organisers. We also had two no shows at two different sessions. Papers were generally of a high quality and with reduced numbers of papers there was plenty of time for discussion. Attendance at the sessions was good allowing for a wide variety of feedback.

Summary of the Uppsala conference
In 2018, the Working Group convened once, at the conference in Uppsala. We had 15 papers scheduled over five sessions. All papers went ahead as scheduled with no late withdrawals from the workshop. There was a good spread from across Northern European countries but few from southern Europe (6 from Sweden, 1 from Switzerland, 1 from Denmark, 2 from the Netherlands, 4 from the UK, and 1 from the USA). Sessions went well with some excellent papers and good discussion in each slot. Attendance at the sessions was good allowing for a wide variety of feedback.

Summary of the Athens conference
In 2019, the Working Group convened once, at the conference in Athens. We had 13 papers scheduled over four sessions. All papers went ahead as scheduled with no late withdrawals from the workshop. There was a good spread from across Northern European countries but few from southern Europe (5 from Sweden, 1 from Denmark, 1 from Norway, 3 from the Netherlands, 1 from Estonia, 1 from the USA, and 1 from China). Sessions went well with some excellent papers and good discussion in each slot. Attendance at the sessions was good allowing for a wide variety of feedback, around 15-20 persons in the room.

The sessions were as follows:

Session 1

Housing tenure pathways in Sweden. A longitudinal cohort study, Dr. Ida Borg, (Stockholm University, Sweden)

Ethnic differences in life course mobility and its impact on neighbourhood change in high-rise housing estates of Tallinn, Estonia, Dr. Anneli Kährik. (University of Tartu, Estonia)

Intergenerational contextual mobility and neighbourhood inequality: A study of the 1986 cohort, Prof. Bo Malmberg, (Stockholm University, Sweden)

The effect of the ‘introduction programme’ on humanitarian immigrants’ earnings, Dr. Elisabeth Ugreninov, Dr. Lena Turner (Oslo Met, Norway)

Session 2

Using Partnerships to Revitalize Distressed Inner-City Communities: A Case Study of the Community Center Learning Institute in Cincinnati, Dr. David Varady, Dr. Adelyn Hall (Cincinnati, USA)

Neighbourhood change, Neighbourhood attachment and social participation in Chinese Cities – a case study of Chengdu, Ms. Liyuan Zhuang

To be or not to be a ghetto. Something is rotten in Denmark, Dr. Gunvor Christensen (VIVE Work and Late Life, The Danish Center for Social Science Reserach)

Session 3

Do schools mix students from different neighbourhoods? School segregation and student allocation in Swedish municipalities, Prof. Bo Malmberg, (Stockholm University, Sweden)

All Scales of Complexity: Potential Fallacies and Assets of Multiscale Bespoke Neighbourhoods for Studying Contextual Effects, Ms. Ana Petrović, (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands)

Multiscale Contextual Poverty in the Netherlands: Within and between-City Inequality, Ms. Ana Petrović, (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands)

Session 4

Poverty context effects on later life income and education, Prof. Eva Andersson, (Stockholm University, Sweden)

Including Neighbourhood Selection in a Neighbourhood Effects Model, Ms. Agata Troost, (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands)

Escaping One’s Disadvantage: How Neighborhood Context Can Alter Life Outcomes, Dr. Karen Haandrikman, (Stockholm University, Sweden)Activities in 2018

Future plans and activities
The Working Group is planning meetings for upcoming ENHR conferences including Nicosia 2020.

The co-ordinators are considering opportunities for a themed Working Group session outside the yearly ENHR conference, e.g. in Spring 2020, around one of the topics outline in our WORKING GROUP central theme and would be open to suggestions from those wanting to collaborate on this type of meeting.

Policy implications
Many of the researchers involved in the Working Group are conducting cutting-edge research, sometimes with close involvement of policymakers. In light of the complexities of making an impact on urban policies, both locally and nationally (let alone on EU level), we feel that we need to continue or even strengthen our efforts to disseminate research findings among policymakers. The rise of Urban Living Labs (ULLs) is a quickly rising phenomenon that we will take into account for this matter, not only in (EU-funded) research proposals, but also in terms of research. We are open to suggestions on how the Working Group might facilitate impact and knowledge exchange in this area.

Other
While quantitative modelling has become prominent in the workshop, we very much welcome qualitative research. Furthermore, we are particularly keen to discuss new approaches focussing on analysis of register data, (linked) open data and social media feeds, specialised evaluation approaches (e.g. realist evaluation) and mixed-methods designs that innovatively combine qualitative and quantitative approaches. The workshop has always maintained very high standards in the research it selects and it is intended that this approach will continue.