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Informed by the concept of diversity, this article discusses the issue of municipalities' facilitation of ethnic diversity and integration in two cities in northern Norway. Municipalities are in a position to accommodate ethnic diversity in more pragmatic ways than the nation-state through local policies. We explore diversity policies in three different areas: democratic participation, urban planning, and cultural policies. The study finds ambivalences in the involvement of immigrants in urban planning processes and to some degree indifference in planning for diversity but also real attempts at recognition by giving immigrants a voice in local politics.

Informed by the concept of diversity, this article discusses the issue of municipalities' facilitation of ethnic diversity and integration in two cities in northern Norway. Municipalities are in a position to accommodate ethnic diversity in more pragmatic ways than the nation-state through local policies. We explore diversity policies in three different areas: democratic participation, urban planning, and cultural policies. The study finds ambivalences in the involvement of immigrants in urban planning processes and to some degree indifference in planning for diversity but also real attempts at recognition by giving immigrants a voice in local politics.

Through an interdisciplinary range of case studies from across the Northern rim of Europe, this volume shows how place reinvention as a concept affects not only global cities but also marginal regions. Divided into three main sections: economic, symbolic and political, the book explores how these all affect and are affected by place reinvention and how these interlink.

This issue discusses the concept of social innovation (SI) as a potentially transformative factor in urban planning and local development. SI represents an alternative to economic and technology-oriented approaches to urban development, such as that of 'smart cities', 'creative cities', etc. This is thanks to the emphasis SI puts on human agency and the empowerment of local communities and citizens to be actively involved in transforming their urban environments. Urban planning could benefit greatly from devoting more attention to SI when addressing the diverse urban problems of today, such as social exclusion, urban segregation, citizen participation and integration, or environmental protection, many of them addressed in the articles gathered in this volume.