Cities of Equality Partnership Gathers in Paris to Shape Actions on Urban Inclusion

On October 24-25 2024, members of the Cities of Equality Partnership convened in Paris to advance their shared vision of more inclusive and equitable cities across Europe. The meeting was hosted by the French Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT), which coordinates this EU-wide partnership alongside the Metropolitan City of Rome.

During the two-day event, partners worked intensively to refine a preliminary list of actions aimed at addressing spatial segregation, social inclusion, and equality in cities. The proposals, which had emerged from prior online brainstorming sessions, were further shaped with a focus on actionable solutions and concrete outputs. Key areas of interest included developing improved data collection methods to gain a deeper understanding of spatial segregation at both the city and neighbourhood levels. Partners also highlighted the importance of collecting effective policy examples to counteract segregation and organising peer-to-peer exchanges with local authorities, both within and outside the partnership.

One of the strategic priorities discussed was advising the European Commission on ways to enhance local authorities’ access to funding for equality-focused initiatives. Additional topics included gathering and sharing best practices on citizen engagement and co-governance, with a particular emphasis on involving vulnerable communities. Partners also explored ways to identify and address barriers to social inclusion and equitable access to services.

Cities of Equality Partnership Meeting in Paris

This brainstorming exercise benefitted from the support of EUKN, the European Urban Knowledge Network, which supported ANCT in the preparation and the moderation of the meeting. EUKN provided insightful feedback building on their experience in the Urban Agenda for the EU and presented two case studies that helped partners reflect critically on citizen engagement and the relations between urban regeneration and gentrification.

The second day offered participants insights into France’s national urban policies. They were introduced to “Politique de la ville,” a national urban policy framework, and “Société numérique,” a digital inclusion initiative. Additionally, Civic City’s founders presented their work at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, and social inclusion.

The partnership aims to complete its list of preliminary actions by the end of 2024 and develop a full draft action plan by spring 2025. The Cities of Equality Partnership will also seek synergies with relevant European Commission initiatives such as the “European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award” (coordinated by DG JUST) and the “Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy” (coordinated by the Joint Research Centre).