HORIZON EU | REROOTED: Resilient European rural outlooks: opportunities for transformation, empowerment and development

Project summary:

In REROOTED 6 frontrunner local communities, scientists from the SSH and land use planning and a leading EU association of local action groups cooperate. The project brings together research outputs from e.g. past EU and Japanese projects on demographic change, drivers and impacts in a socio-spatial typology for the EU. Foresight adds insight in possible future demographic scenarios. A GIS tool provides insight and ex-ante policy assessment on demographic impacts. The produced enhanced understanding is developed into actionable strategies at two levels, including criteria based on the EU Rural Vision. On the first level in a cooperation of local frontrunner communities from 6 partner countries, with scientists who – based on the gathered evidence – co-create local innovations to mitigate and adapt to a variety of demographic changes. They develop guidance for their upscaling, targeting different partners: local authorities, SMEs and CSOs. These solutions and guidance are tested and validated in follower communities under other territorial contexts in e.g. governing and planning, economy, physical geography (incl. climate challenges). These followers are selected via an FSTP open call. For the above-local level, national and regional economic and spatial policies and investments in the 6 partners countries are studied on their (demographic) impacts in frontrunner rural areas. Enhancements are suggested in a series of workshops between national, regional policy makers and local SMEs, CSOs and authorities from the frontrunner communities. Suggested strategies support governance and local initiative and innovations, including economic and spatial planning and investments and rural-urban synergies. Upscaling is supported by an interactive Knowledge and Community Learning Hub, hosted by the EU wide Leader association and its over 2500 member Local Action Groups.

Partnership:
Athens University of Economics and Business – Research Center, AUEB-RC – GREECE

Principal Investigator
Prof. Phoebe Koundouri