Project description
For a robust rural-urban future
Rural and urban areas have traditionally been seen as separate entities. However, both can provide advantages to one another and facilitate inclusive development, which is crucial for a sustainable Europe. This necessitates strong collaborations and policies that support both agricultural and urban areas. To address these goals, the EU-funded ROBUST project will explore the mutual interactions between rural and urban areas in an effort to discover effective governance arrangements that promote rural-urban cooperation. A key premise is that communities can be more sustainable, inclusive and resilient if well-being is prioritised over economic growth. The project will also generate valuable insights and best practices for policymakers, planners and practitioners, and make these available through its "Rural-Urban Learning Hub"(https://rural-urban.eu/learning-hub).
Objective
Mutually beneficial relations along rural – peri-urban – urban trajectories can contribute substantially to Europe’s smart, sustainable and inclusive growth agenda. Success in creating synergies is largely determined by decisions made at local and regional levels. Well-designed governance arrangements can be conducive to decisions that strengthen beneficial relations between rural and urban areas. Central to ROBUST is a place-based case study approach in which the case studies focus on thematic functional linkages cutting across rural-urban areas. The content and governance of these functional linkages are analyzed in diverse case study areas that represent the main types of rural – peri-urban – urban settings across Europe. ROBUST will identify and strengthen policies, governance systems and practices that can contribute more effectively to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Particular attention will be paid to the capacities of municipal and regional governments, the related administrations and other stakeholders to deliver and enhance mutually beneficial relations. ROBUST aims to provide practice-oriented information about successful governance models applicable to different settings as well as related communication and training material. In ROBUST, the questions and research needs of practice partners will guide the research process. Researchers will support the related multi-actor consultations through data collection and analysis, by providing suitable platforms and through facilitation. The insights co-generated by research and practice partners and stakeholders will be translated into tools, including scenario development, as well as training materials and capacity building measures. ROBUST will in this way contribute to a better understanding of rural-urban interactions, and it will at the same time enhance the capacity of relevant actors and institutions to foster mutually beneficial relations along rural – peri-urban – urban trajectories.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
6708 PB Wageningen
Netherlands
See on map
Participants (23)
SY23 3BF Aberystwyth
See on map
1014 Riga
See on map
3101 TUKUMA
See on map
GL50 2RH Cheltenham
See on map
1030 Wien
See on map
65812 BAD SODEN
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1210 Bruxelles / Brussel
See on map
46010 Valencia
See on map
1241 KAMNIK
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
00790 Helsinki
See on map
00099 Helsingin
See on map
1000 Ljubljana
See on map
79098 Freiburg Im Breisgau
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
6711 DD EDE
See on map
1296-145 LISBON
See on map
1049 001 Lisboa
See on map
56126 Pisa
See on map
GL1 2TG GLOUCESTER
See on map
60329 FRANKFURT AM MAIN
See on map
55100 Lucca
See on map
CF10 4LG CARDIFF
See on map
8010 GRAZ
See on map
46001 VALENCIA
See on map