Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ROBUST (Rural-Urban Outlooks: Unlocking Synergies)

Teaser

Mutually beneficial relations along rural–periurban–urban trajectories have been shown to contribute substantially to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth agenda outlined in the EU 2020 strategy. Well-designed multi-level and multi-actor governance systems and processes...

Summary

Mutually beneficial relations along rural–periurban–urban trajectories have been shown to contribute substantially to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth agenda outlined in the EU 2020 strategy. Well-designed multi-level and multi-actor governance systems and processes are key to strengthening beneficial relations between rural, peri-urban and urban areas. A challenge for all involved actors is to contribute to a more balanced, future-oriented, sustainable and spatially integrated place-based development that takes into account synergies across rural–periurban–urban areas. Urbanisation processes can contribute positively to rural development by providing access to markets, services, and knowledge if carefully designed and managed. Rural areas, in turn, can offer urban centres amenities that contribute positively to urban quality of life, regional competitiveness and cultural identity.
Hence, the overall goal of ROBUST is: to advance our understanding of the interactions and dependencies between rural, peri-urban and urban areas, and to identify and promote policies, governance models and practices that foster mutually beneficial relations. Improved governance arrangements and synergies between rural, peri-urban and urban areas will contribute to Europe’s smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, maximizing the creation of rural jobs and value-added.

Work performed

WP1 has established the conceptual framework and methodological approach for ROBUST by reviewing literature on rural-urban interactions and the development of key concepts, including smart development and network governance. Relational theory emphasises the overlapping concepts of absolute space (with firm territorial boundaries), relational space (with fuzzy boundaries) and relative space (recognizing close ties to non-geographically congruent localities). Combining the perspectives of relational space (or ‘new localities’), smart development and network governance with the objectives of ROBUST leads to the identification of key issues for analysis, including the articulation of connectivity between rural and urban spaces, the enrolment of local resources in development projects and tendencies to specialization, forms of relationships mobilized between different actors and arrangements for governance, and the spatial imaginaries embodied in development projects.

WP2: This was a rapid appraisal of: a) existing studies and data sets about rural-urban relations (4 thematic reports per living lab team) and b) governance arrangements and planning instruments (3 reports per living lab team). On the basis of these reports, a synthesis report has been written that provides a compilation of key information on interactions and dependencies between rural, peri-urban and urban areas. This report also contains overviews on: a) the key features, strengths and weaknesses of contemporary governance, planning and management approaches, and b) indicators and criteria related to interactions and dependencies between rural, peri-urban and urban areas.
Furthermore, the use of night satellite images and other data processing methods for capturing relevant spatial developments and dependencies have been tested in two partner regions. It showed that: the approach is reliable to differentiate urban and non-urban space; a dynamic spatial autocorrelation analysis may uncover risks of urban sprawl in the long run; light emission data can be used as a proxy for socio-economic and environmental variables. Following this, a method has been elaborated for assessing how linkages between urban and rural activities affect socio-economic development and specifically the creation of added value and jobs.

WP3: Case studies; rural-urban relations and synergies in five thematic fields (communities of practice), across 11 case study areas (living labs) will be explored and analysed. A methodological framework has been drawn up that connects general theories of smart development, social innovation and experimentalist governance to a pragmatic and actionable research framework. It provides: a case study approach and a clear set of research phases that operationalise the living lab approach to examine rural-urban relations in specific contexts; the communities of practice approach; a toolkit of coproduction methods and approaches that living lab teams and communities of practice can use to develop their innovation plans and subsequent work; and a description of an evaluation and monitoring approach. The work in living labs and CoP’s started officially in month 18 of the project, but earlier than planned partners started work on their living lab agenda and in the community of practice teams by convening to share ideas and common interests.

WP4: Only preliminary activities for the identification, characterization and analysis of cross-sectoral interaction were detailed.

WP5: There were no activities on these WP’s in the reporting period.

WP6: Existing materials relevant to rural-urban/peri-urban relationships/syntheses/governance which will come to form the ROBUST “Policy Hub” as an ongoing, iterative exercise over the lifetime of the project have been amassed and collated. Furthermore work has started on developing policy and governance Topic Papers for subsequent input from the 11 Living Labs, and on shaping one or more policy briefings on current pros

Final results

ROBUST will go beyond the state-of-the-art in the following areas:
• Elaborating a trans-disciplinary research project.
• Contributing to overcoming over-simplifying models.
• Critically engaging with the EU’s smart regional growth policy.
• Producing a more differentiated analysis of interactions and dependencies.
• Providing a theoretically and empirically grounded strategic context for policy.

ROBUST will have substantial impacts in research, policy and practice. The interactive project will deliver policy-relevant analyses and contribute intensely to the further development of governance systems and processes fostering rural-urban synergies and thereby smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. ROBUST will advance our understanding of the interactions and dependencies between rural, peri-urban and urban areas. A better understanding is instrumental to strengthening policies, governance systems and practices. Governance systems and policy can play a stronger and more positive role in enabling and fostering mutually beneficial relations between rural, peri-urban and urban areas. Regional and rural policies in particular are vital, as their aim is to support job creation, competitiveness, and a sustainable economic development as well as improve citizens’ quality of life. ROBUST also will directly feed its results into on-going planning and decision processes at the level of the eleven study areas.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.rural-urban.eu.