How is the Intercultural Cities Programme serving as a tool for diversity integration in Lisbon, Portugal? Main challenges of immigration in the city.

To understand the importance of a programme like the Intercultural Cities Programme, this thesis discusses one of the most significant challenges facing global society today - migration; due to instability and climate change, these movements will continue to develop, and most pressing of all, decisions need to be made as to how to embrace it and the challenges it will bring in the best way. The literature review focuses on the ideas of Scott E. Page and Ricard Zapata-Barrero that defend the importance of diversity in today’s society and explain why measures to promote interculturalism play such a fundamental role in the ending of discrimination and the better integration of immigrants. The ideas of the authors that came to inspire the Intercultural Cities Programme, Charles Landry and Phill Wood are discussed, followed by an examination of the modus operandi of the ICC, which focuses on supporting cities to adapt their policies regarding migrants and minorities, seeking equality and positive discrimination under an intercultural lens as well as promoting active citizen participation for integration. To contextualise the case study, an overview of the main challenges surrounding immigration in Portugal and Lisbon is provided. The case study then focuses on how the ICC programme serves as a tool for diversity integration in Lisbon and reporting on the obstacles to integration in the city. Pursuing an explanatory qualitative analysis, interviews with both experts working in the field and immigrants themselves are considered. Recommendations are proposed for the near future concerning Lisbon’s municipality and the ICC programme.