Partizipation im Wohnumfeld: Benachteiligungsaspekte bei der Teilhabe von sozial benachteiligten Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund an der Gestaltung ihres Wohnumfeldes aus Public Health Perspektive

Abstract

In urban environments, health inequalities manifest spatially in the formation of "socially deprived areas". Socially disadvantaged groups with migration background are exposed to multiple burdens when their social disadvantages accumulate with health-related spatial disadvantages due to the unequal distribution of contextual factors in the living environment. Simultaneously, the social inequality of participation opportunities contributes to the fact that the same groups are least able to influence these conditions. According to the Salutogenic Model by Aaron Antonovsky (1997), participation, in the sense of personal participation in socially valued decision making, is an essential life experience that determines to what extent people are able to make resistance resources and coping strategies available, which decide upon their health and wellbeing. As a result, health promotion is not solely based on improving health-related conditions from above, but on actively involving residents, especially such of deprived areas, in decision-making processes concerning the development of their living environment. The research question is therefore: How can participation in relevant decisions about healthrelated aspects in the living environment be facilitated for socially disadvantaged groups of people with migration background and thereby improve their health chances? An explorative research design using grounded theory was applied. Two areas that are part of the Soziale Stadt program in Munich were selected as case studies. In and around those areas 23 expert interviews were conducted and evaluated over a period of 18 months. The results show that participation in the program Soziale Stadt is characterized by different understandings of participation along with different participatory practices. Three forms of participation can be distinguished: formal public participation in constructional redevelopment measures, the participation of professional actors in processes of area-development via the area committee, and projects to improve the societal participation of disadvantaged groups through socially integrative projects, focused on education and unemployment. Socially disadvantaged groups with a migration background are target group for the latter. Their participation in decision- making processes concerning the development of their living environment is thus not achieved.