MERGING – Housing for Immigrants and Community Integration in Europe and Beyond: Strategies, Policies, Dwellings, and Governance

Funding Program: Horizon 2020

Grant agreement Number: 101004535.

The MERGING project is an interdisciplinary study of migrant integration through participatory housing initiatives.

The project brings together 7 disciplines from 10 partners to test an innovative approach aiming to facilitate and ensure the sustainability of the migrants’ integration process. MERGING reviews existing knowledge, integration policies, and initiatives across macro (EU migration policies), meso (regional economic & social systems), and micro (individual practices) levels in which housing occupies a prominent place.

This will enable the partners to study the feasibility of participatory pilots in order to implement, test and evaluate them in 3 European regions. To ensure the success and sustainability of the project, immigrants, hosts, volunteers, NGOs, companies, and citizens will be involved in the construction (or renovation) of housing. The innovative, multi-method approach (e.g. interviews, focus groups, policy analyses, quantitative data analysis, and participatory action research) provides in-depth analyses of:

1) the long-term effects of participatory housing initiatives;

2) factors fostering or hindering integration processes of migrants and access to civic rights in local communities and

3) how diverse stakeholders can support migrants by strengthening their socio-economic integration through participatory initiatives (notably the ones related to housing).

MERGING will contribute extensively to integration studies - empirically, methodologically, and conceptually - through its place- and migrant-centered approach.

MERGING offers direct benefits to migrants, and evidence-based policy recommendations will help to push policy and practice innovation in the field of migrant integration in Europe.

UNIBO is WP leader of WP3.  WP3 objectives will be reached by implementing the following tasks:

• Collection of in-depth data on case-studies
• Single-case and cross-case empirical analysis
• Creation of a typology of “integration operating models” for migrants’ housing/accommodation

Coordinator: 

Project Partners:

• Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, Department of Educational Studies “Giovanni Maria Bertin”  as Leading Department(Prof. Morena Cuconato, Prof. Ivana Bolognesi, Dr. Marta Ilardo and Dr. Marta Salinaro ); Department of Management (Prof. Simone Ferriani, Prof. Rosa Grimaldi and Dr. Daniela Bolzani, Dr. Leonardo Corbo); 
• Université Lyon 3 Jean Moulin - France  (Cooridnator)
• Lyon Ingénierie Projets SME - France    
• Quatorze Association - France
• Université de Rennes I - France
• Universitat de Valencia - Spain
• Goeteborgs Universitet - Sveden            
• Malmo Universitet - Sveden      
• Social Business Earth Sagl  social enterprise - Switzerland           
• Collectif d'Echanges pour la Technologie appropriée -  Belgium

Duration: from 01/01/2021 to 30/04/2024

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Project Website: https://www.merging-housing-project.eu/

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101004535