Ruralitic

Why RURALITIC?

Rural areas are more complex, diverse, and interconnected with global and urban dynamics – shaping both productive and recreational landscapes.

RURALITIC redefines our European rural areas through science-based innovations to strengthen public policies in face of new realities, challenges, and transitions.

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Our objectives

Redefining rurality as a multidimensional and relational concept

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Our objectives

Characterising rural areas’ diversity and role in major transitions

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Our objectives

Identifying key drivers of attractiveness and how crises and policies shape their population

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Our objectives

Evaluating post-covid demographic impacts

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Our objectives

Assessing and co-developing public policies and local initiatives to revitalise rural areas

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Our objectives

Developing future scenarios that envision resilient and thriving rural areas

The challenge

New transitions

Driven by ecological, digital, and bio-economic transitions, rural areas have experienced socio-demographic changes, further accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Disparities and opportunities

Inequalities in rural areas need to be recognised and addressed, while also embracing their opportunities.

Outdated concepts and policies

Existing frameworks need to evolve to better reflect the complexity and realities of rural areas.

How do we tackle them?

1. Redefining rurality

Exploring new concepts and methods using data, innovative surveys, and indicators to understand evolving rural dynamics—social and geographical.

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2. Deploying new concepts

Testing our concepts—localised social space, circulation, territorial value, physical and symbolic spaces—through new surveys in four countries and ethnographic cases across Europe to analyse attractiveness drivers, evaluate policies, and develop a recommendations library for diverse rural contexts.

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3. Shaping future rural scenarios

Tailoring public policies to align with European priorities of sustainability, resilience, connectivity, and infrastructure of rural areas.

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Our team

Bringing together universities, research institutions, and rural and farming sector groups, we combine expertise in sociology, geography, economics, and demography.

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team