The politics of austerity are undermining welfare state commitments and at the same time European countries are witnessing increasing social inequalities, which are particularly visible in urban contexts. As a result, cities are places where residential segregation and deprivation are reproduced, but also where laboratories for social innovation emerge to counteract the effects of inequalities. More specifically, at the neighbourhood level we find micro-communities with their own particular history, political culture and networks, which most often are the recipients or the drivers of processes of social innovation.

The term “social innovation” has rapidly entered the discourse of social scientists in the last ten years, although a wide consensus on its theoretical foundations is still missing. The EC funded FP7 empirical research of CITISPYCE (Combating Inequalities through Innovative Social Practices of and for Young People in Cities across Europe) contributes to this discussion making use of ethnographic data generated in ten European urban contexts. This panel looks at socially innovative practices in four specific cities, i.e. Barcelona, Birmingham, Hamburg and Venice. Those practices are mainly linked to young vulnerable groups and aimed at recognising and empowering them, including both bottom-up and top–down initiatives. The panel also aims to offer insights about what are the ingredients for an innovative practice, either from a policy or societal level; what are the enabling conditions for innovation and their persistence, as well as how they can effectively contribute to the development of the city against inequalities.