There is widespread agreement that community engagement was crucial in COVID-19 preparedness and response in superdiverse urban areas. However, what ‘community’ is, and what ‘community engagement’ entails is very different across G7 countries. The institutions involved, their capacity and cultures of seeing and relating to socially diverse residents, civil society and community associations, are very different. The actors and activities that mediate between residents and public or civil society institutions have different profiles and motivations. Local understandings of what a community is vary within and across contexts.
This research project aims to understand how three very diverse city settings approached “community engagement” during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are particularly interested in the lessons learned for the future, to make sure communities have a say in how we respond to the next pandemic. The three cities in this study include the London Borough of Ealing, London (UK), Marseille, France (its Northern Districts) and Cleveland, Ohio (USA). Previous research suggests three very different approaches have been taken in these cities. We compare these cities’ different approaching to engaging with communities, along five dimensions including: purposes, institutions, people, relationships and processes.
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