Project Timeline

Project Kick-Off

ICEC began its work on neighbourhood-related policies, bringing together research teams in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Vienna under the lead of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Fieldwork, Case Studies, and Newsletters

Baseline studies were made available online in October 2014. The consortium produced a regular newsletter series during this period, including Notes from the Field (February 2015), Speaking one language? (December 2015), and Towards a better understanding of "interethnic coexistence" (August 2016).

A project timeline offers a clear, chronological view of how a research initiative unfolds, from the earliest planning conversations to the closing events that bring findings into the public sphere. For comparative urban studies, this kind of overview is especially valuable because it shows how fieldwork, analysis, writing, and dissemination are sequenced across multiple cities and partner teams. Readers can see at a glance which phase produced which outputs and when intermediate milestones were reached, which helps situate any single report or publication within the wider arc of the project. A well structured timeline also makes collaboration more transparent, since external observers can follow the rhythm of decision points, data collection periods, and moments of internal review without needing access to internal documentation. For audiences interested in neighbourhood policy, the timeline functions as a map of the evidence base itself, indicating when particular case studies were carried out and when their results were first made available to wider audiences through newsletters, working papers, or conference presentations.

The first phase of a neighbourhood research project typically centres on kick off activities, including the formation of the consortium, the agreement on shared research questions, and the selection of comparable case study districts. In the early months, attention is given to methodological alignment, ensuring that tools for data collection, coding, and analysis can be applied across different national contexts while still respecting local specificity. Baseline studies are often produced during this period, drawing on existing statistics, policy documents, and prior scholarship to map the terrain before primary fieldwork begins. These baselines serve as reference points against which later findings can be measured, and they are usually released publicly so that practitioners and other researchers can respond. Setting this foundation carefully is widely recognised as crucial for the credibility of any subsequent comparative claim, since the strength of cross city comparisons depends directly on the quality and consistency of the initial design choices documented at the start.

The middle phase of such a project is usually dominated by intensive fieldwork, qualitative interviews, and on site observation in the chosen neighbourhoods. Researchers spend time in local streets, housing estates, community spaces, and public offices, gathering the lived perspectives of residents, shopkeepers, municipal staff, and neighbourhood organisations. Case study reports are drafted iteratively, with findings circulated among consortium members for discussion and refinement before being shared more broadly. Communication with the wider public is maintained through regular newsletter editions, short policy briefs, and occasional blog posts or magazine articles that translate emerging insights into accessible language. Conference presentations and poster sessions offer additional channels for feedback, allowing the team to test interpretations against the views of other scholars and practitioners. Throughout this period, careful documentation of methods, sampling decisions, and analytical steps is maintained so that the process remains transparent and replicable for future research.

The closing phase of a comparative neighbourhood project focuses on synthesis, dissemination, and the careful handover of findings to those who can act on them. Final comparative reports bring together the evidence gathered across cities, highlighting shared patterns as well as the distinctive local conditions that shape outcomes. A closing conference or public event often marks the formal end of the project, providing a venue where researchers, policymakers, and community representatives can discuss implications and identify priorities for further work. Publications, online resources, and downloadable summaries ensure that the knowledge produced remains accessible beyond the life of the project itself. Even after the formal timeline concludes, the relationships built between partner institutions and city offices tend to continue, supporting future collaborations, follow up studies, and the gradual accumulation of insight into how inclusive urban environments are made and sustained across European contexts.

Public Discussion and Press Coverage

Project outputs entered wider public discussion, including a June 2016 presentation on "Feeling at home in a mixed neighbourhood," coverage by the Österreichischer Städtebund in March 2017, and a feature in the City of Vienna's Research Magazine in March 2017.

Final Conference and Project Conclusion

The project concluded with the ICEC Final Conference held at a theatre in Gumpendorf in May 2017, alongside a Wiener Bezirkszeitung Mariahilf report on the research carried out by the ICEC project team.