Date of event: 9 October - 12 June 2023
Location: Brussels, Belgium
This session is organised by P10, the network of largest rural municipalities in the Netherlands, in the framework of the European Week of Cities and Regions (9-12 October, Brussels, Belgium). It invites participants to discuss the emancipation of rural areas in regional and urban policy. Ursula van der Leyen stated ‘Rural areas are the fabric of our society and the heartbeat of our economy’. Meaningful engagement of rural areas is necessary in order to allow them to play their important role in the great transition challenges that Europe is facing. Especially the challenges with regard to climate, energy, housing, agriculture, nature and biodiversity have a strong place-based and rural component. Eventually, the puzzle must be put together in specific locations with the people in the area. Engaging rural actors in policy processes has the potential to contribute to strengthen cohesion, build on the strong rural social capital and avoid further polarization in advancing the transition agendas. The moderator and speakers in this interactive session have collaborated in the SHERPA project to develop and test the social innovation this requires.
The SHERPA project organized 40 multi-actor platforms in 20 different countries to engage rural actors in policy. SHERPA created mechanisms to better align and integrate the rural dialogue with EU policy cycles. Taking the SHERPA lessons and the specific experiences in the multi actor platforms in the Netherlands, France and Poland as starting point, this participatory lab invites a dialogue on what is needed for the further emancipation of rural areas in policy processes? This session provides a collaborative and creative arena to exchange and co-create an initial action agenda for meaningful engagement of rural actor in regional and urban policy. Thus realizing the full potential of rural areas to contribute to social cohesion and shaping the future of European regions and cities.
More information will follow.
Published by Carla Lostrangio