Policy Brief: The Role of Urban Public Spaces in Managing Displacement in Norway

Refugees, temporarily displaced people, and migrants who arrive in Norwegian cities would benefit from equitable access to urban public spaces. Research suggests that the design and management of public urban spaces and local neighbourhood centres can improve migrants’ wellbeing and encourage local cross-cultural interactions. Permanent architectural and urban spaces planned and built for emergency purposes should benefit people who are displaced as well as host communities. To achieve this, urban planning, and migration and displacement management – two mostly separate fields of governance – should collaborate and learn from each other.