The most developed societies are undergoing a process of institutional change, as profound as it is unpredictable, which is disrupting the structures and institutions that have traditionally shaped them. Social sciences have echoed these changes by developing theories such as "postmodernism" (Vattimo), the "risk society" (Beck), the "liquid modernity" (Bauman) or "hypermodernity" (Ascher). These changes are reflected, and their consequences borne, particularly in urban areas.

CIVERSITYaims to address the analysis of some of these institutional transformations by using the city as a laboratory par excellence. We will be examining three major dimensions:

1. The material dimension: The crisis of the structures and processes of social integration related to employment and education.
2. The socio-cultural dimension: The challenge of social cohesion in increasingly diverse societies, largely although not exclusively as a result of immigration.
3. The spatial dimension: The scope for a new policy for cities, so that they develop integration and cohesion skills and strategies. 

Establishing CIVERSITY was made possible by a General Grant under the framework of the Call for Aid to Research Groups at the University of the Basque Country (EHU/UPV) (2010), recorded under registration code GIU10/08.