Cohesion requires patience

When it comes to community cohesion the important thing to remember is what you are aiming at. You need to achieve an outcome where nobody feels uncomfortable or unwelcome in their own neighbourhood and where people are respectful towards each other.  Then you can start to build a shared vision and a sense of community. The benefits of diversity will become obvious in time - a greater tolerance of difference and much more local creativity in the community as innovators are drawn to the rich mix of cultures that co-exist. Celebrating these benefits might be where you want to end up but assuming that widespread tolerance exists at the outset may cause problems and inter-ethnic tensions. The world is changing quicker than any other time in its history. It is changing at a pace that many people are not comfortable with. Any attempts to increase the pace of change will bring about a negative reaction.  Community cohesion requires an effort to manage change at a pace that carries most people along from the existing communities, new communities and the authorities. For community cohesion to work the three different groups need to take steps towards each other. It is as important that all three sides are being seen to making these steps, rather than assume a single direction of travel by everyone at the same pace. Should any of these sides not be playing their part, then the whole process will stall. If they  are being forced to move too quickly they will react. Speeding up the process for one of these groups may  build resentment and distrust from others.  People will cling to what they know and what they are comfortable with. There is then a danger that the gap between the communities becomes wider than the continents that previously separated them.  This is the space that extremists thrive.