The project component Integration and Synthesis (I&S) is the analytical core of the research consortium. Each subproject has developed its own research questions to be investigated at the local municipal level. Within I&S the results of the subprojects will be collected and synthesized in order to obtain answers to the overarching research questions of the consortium and to reach the joint research goals. The theory and methodology of I&S is rooted in participatory social research, particularly in Action Science. Accordingly, the subprojects are viewed as communities of inquiry on the local level which can serve as catalysts for critical debates at the national level and in other municipalities. In the framework of I&S, the subprojects meet regularly to reflect on the results of their work and to gain new insights beyond their local context. I&S has three main components:

• Colloquia: Periodic meetings in Berlin with all subprojects
• Case studies in selected municipalities: Conducted by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu)
• Dialogue: The findings of the consortium will be discussed with municipalities outside the consortium for the purpose of validation, a process supported by the Berlin-Brandenburg Association of Health Promotion (GBB—Gesundheit Berlin Brandenburg)

The Catholic University for Applied Sciences Berlin (KHSB), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) and Gesundheit Berlin-Brandenburg (GBB) support the subprojects in planning and implementing I&S as well as in communicating the results of the research.