A new online tool is allowing people to test their local government’s commitment to inclusiveness and cultural diversity.

The My City of Migration (MyCOM) Diagnostic is a modular web app that uses a series of simple scenarios to help users assess the quality of inclusion in their daily lives: at work, at school, in elections, in health care and as a new arrival.

Produced by the Cities of Migration initiative, based at Toronto’s Ryerson University, the test has mapped ten measures of inclusion and been proofed by international experts.

The MyCOM Diagnostic provides a detailed snapshot of “my” city’s relative strengths and weaknesses in regard to diversity and inclusion and then direct users to a rich set of resources on the Building Inclusive Cities Learning Platform.

It is part of a two-year project, supported by Open Society Foundations and led by the Cities of Migration initiative at Ryerson University’s Global Diversity Exchange with international partners,  that is exploring the complex and interconnected factors that contribute to open, inclusive cities in an era of global migration.

The project has developed the web-based diagnostic tool and dynamic learning platform to help city and community stakeholders assess ‘inclusion factors’ across the urban landscape, and gain a better understanding of the conditions that enhance (or inhibit) immigrant integration and inclusion.

Cities of Migration is an initiative that showcases good ideas in migrant integration and inclusion and innovative practices and policy solutions that promote diversity, inclusion and urban prosperity.

Activities include an internationally recognised collection of promising practices, city-to-city learning exchanges through webinars, international conferences and a growing network of thought leaders.

Test your city here: https://my.citiesofmigration.org/

Laurie Nowell
AMES Australia Senior Journalist