Abstract
As the proportion of immigrants among the inhabitants of today's cities is growing, they have to find and form new bonds and social relations once established in their new place of residence. Their integration into the majority society can be significantly facilitated by policies implemented by local governments.
This paper evaluates and compares the practices in two different French regions: in the capital of Paris and in the towns of the rural region of Basse-Normandie. The research has shown that the attitude of town halls in surveyed cities is significantly influenced by the size of immigrant population, the duration of its presence in the city and its composition, as well as by the political views of city leaders.
The most striking difference between the policy declared at the national level and the policy implemented in daily practice was discovered in the city of Paris. The statistically significant correlation between the helpful attitude of city government to the immigrants and the activity of immigrants themselves, expressed by the number of local non-profit organizations founded by immigrants, was also found in the region of Basse-Normandie.
The French experience can serve as a lesson and inspiration for cities in other parts of world.