Abstract

Although studies on migrants' urban inclusion mainly focus on large cities, in Italy also small size cities are experiencing growing international immigration. Here, migrants' new demands for the city and the rapid transition from a taken for granted cultural uniformity to an unexpected multiplication of differences call for a deeper analysis of what this means in terms government capacity and social cohesion, even the more so in times of crisis. Based on the preliminary outcomes of the Research Project "Small-size cities and social cohesion: policies and practices for the social and spatial inclusion of international migrants", this article aims to contribute to the debate on the specific challenges immigration poses to these urban contexts.