Sustainability archivos

On 8 July 2026, the EU‑funded REROOTED project will host the online seminar “Assessing impacts of demographic trends in rural territories. Research methods in Europe and Japan” (8:30–11:30 CEST / 15:30–18:30 JPT) on MS Teams.

Demographic change in rural areas is a growing concern worldwide, with Japan offering long‑term evidence of demographic decline while many European regions are only beginning to experience and measure similar trends.

The seminar will explore how demographic trends in rural territories are defined and assessed, which social, economic and environmental dimensions are considered, and how different data and methods can be used to identify and classify rural clusters.

RUSTIK contribution: functional rural areas and resilience

Francesco Mantino, WP1 leader in the RUSTIK project (“Conceptualising functional rural areas, transition, and resilience of rural areas”), has been invited to present RUSTIK’s work in Round 2 of the seminar.

His talk, “Exploring Diversity in the Rural Continuum: Insights from the RUSTIK Project”, will showcase the project’s methodological framework for analysing diverse functional rural areas, with a focus on transitions and resilience.

In particular, the presentation will highlight:

How RUSTIK defines and operationalises functional rural areas in relation to wider territorial systems.
The variables, indicators and information needs identified to analyse key transition themes affecting rural territories.
Approaches to assessing the resilience capacity of different rural areas and their responses to ongoing demographic and socio‑economic transitions.

By connecting these elements, the session will underline how RUSTIK’s conceptual and empirical work can support better‑informed policies and strategies for rural regions facing demographic change.

Dialogue with Japanese case studies and EU projects

The seminar programme is structured in two rounds.

The first round presents Japanese case studies, including research on landscape maintainability under demographic shrinkage, co‑creative planning in Obuse Town (Nagano) and rural inmigration and gentrification in Niseko driven by ski tourism. These contributions provide rich examples of how long‑term demographic decline is measured and managed, and offer valuable insights for European researchers.

The second round brings together evidence from major EU projects: GRANULAR on demographic expansion in rapid‑growth rural areas, RUSTIK on the rural continuum and functional rural areas, and the EU Rural Observatory on demographic trends in rural regions. This combination of perspectives will foster a comparative dialogue on data, methods and indicators across different territorial and institutional contexts.

Organisation and invitation

The seminar is organised within REROOTED’s WP1 “Understanding driving forces and impacts of demographic trends in rural EU”, and specifically Task 1.1 “Narratives and indicators of demographic change”. It is coordinated by Claudia Cassatella and Enrico Gottero (Politecnico di Torino), together with Chika Takatori (University of Tokyo), and will close with a final discussion moderated by Christian Fertner (University of Copenhagen).

JOIN THE EVENT HERE

The 4th European Rural Geographies Conference took place in Porto, Portugal from 22 to 26 June 2026, hosted by the University of Porto under the theme “Reinventing Rural Spaces: Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability in a Changing World”. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from across Europe to exchange knowledge on the futures of rural territories.

RUSTIK contributed to this year’s programme with two posters and one oral presentation, reflecting the project’s work across social inclusion, transdisciplinary methods, and digital innovation in rural areas.

Two Posters, Two Perspectives

The poster session featured two RUSTIK contributions, from the Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS), the institution that coordinates the RUSTIK project.

Poster 1 — Comparing Social Inclusion Challenges in Rural Europe

“Comparing Social Inclusion Challenges in Rural Europe: Insights from Four RUSTIK Living Labs”,by Svea Thietje, Sarah Peter, and Carla Wember (IfLS).

Social and spatial inequalities increasingly shape rural development across Europe, yet their manifestations remain highly context-specific and are often poorly captured by existing data. Rural regions face challenges such as demographic change, limited services, and uneven development opportunities. The perspectives of under-represented groups are frequently missing from policy processes, highlighting the need for more participatory forms of knowledge production. Drawing on four RUSTIK Living Labs, this poster compares how different regions approach social inclusion challenges and explores what participatory methods can contribute to policy and practice.

Poster 2 — Knowledge through Transdisciplinary Methods

“Integrating System, Target and Transformation Knowledge through Transdisciplinary Methods: Insights from 14 Rural Living Labs in Europe” by Simone Sterly, and Carla Wember (IfLS).

This poster takes a project-wide perspective, presenting findings from all 14 RUSTIK Living Labs operating across 14 Pilot Regions in 10 European countries. It documents how Living Labs have experimented with new data collection and analysis tools, developed policy panoramas and transition narratives, built Theories of Change, and tested Decentralised Rural Proofing to address their specific transition challenges. The Integrating System, Target and Transformation framework is presented as a methodological contribution for structuring and advancing rural sustainability transitions.

Oral Presentation — Digital Innovation in Rural Areas

On 23 June, RUSTIK also featured in the oral session PS 3.6 · Changes, New Methods and Digital Innovation in Rural Areas (FCUP Auditorium FC6-029), chaired by Hossein Azadi, University of Ghent.

Under submission No. #100, Daniel Keech, Katarina Kubinakova, Aimee Morse, and Demelza Jones from the Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire (UK) presented:

“Rural functions and digital transition: lessons from western England”

The presentation drew directly on the work of the Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire Living Labs — two of the RUSTIK Living Labs based in western England and Wales. The Gloucestershire Living Lab has focused on digital inclusion and data innovation, while the Monmouthshire Living Lab has explored demographic change through participatory mapping and dashboard tools. Together, they offer concrete evidence of how digital transition in rural areas requires social innovation alongside technological change — a key insight the presentation brings to the Porto audience.

Beyond RUSTIK’s Own Contributions

The RUSTIK presence at the conference extends beyond the project’s direct submissions. On 22 June, the Opening Session featured an inaugural lecture by Marion Eckardt from the ELARD Knowledge Hub — a RUSTIK consortium partner — under the title “From Practice to Policy: A Practitioner’s Journey Through the Development of Rural Europe”. It is a reminder that the conversation between research and practice lies at the core of what RUSTIK set out to do.

If you are attending the conference, the RUSTIK team looks forward to seeing you in Porto.