Themes
The following urban-rural issues have preliminarily been identified as the themes for the proposed CURE Seminars:
Creating value-added chains by new rural-urban linkages
Food chains; consumer-producer associations; service provision in the regional context; proximity strategies and local supply; the role of small towns; local brands and regional branding; local and regional identity as a driver for sustainable policies.
Coming to grips with energy and matter cycles
Energy supply and consumption; renewable energy; procurement strategies linking urban with rural areas; integrated management of regional matter and energy cycles; technological innovation.
Safeguarding natural and human heritage for serving future generations
Natural assets in town and countryside; the built heritage; landscape as an integrating force between nature and culture and between urban and rural areas; ecological corridors and green belts; spatial planning and land management; environmental education; leisure, recreation and environmental awareness.
Rural-urban interaction in the post-information age
Information technology, what it implies or offers for rural-urban relations and well-being; knowledge-based economy; new working and employment patterns; changing consumption patterns; the role of (multi-)media in rural-urban relationships; competence-based regional development strategies, the concept of Learning Regions.
The world on the move: new neighbours, new blends.
Migration, changing the face of urban quarters and rural settlements; seclusion, segregation, integration, assimilation, blending; poverty, unemployment, insecurity in town and countryside; ethnic diversity, minorities, and the cultural and economic challenges; support for short-term residents or shifting populations.
Mass tourism and sustainable destination management
Pressures and counterbalances in mass tourism destinations (sea coast, lakeshores, mountains, outstanding landscapes and towns; respectful tourism, eco-tourism strategies; integrated approaches including soft mobility solutions; intelligence at leisure: beyond hooliganism.
Creating climate-friendly land-use, settlement and mobility patterns
Integrated and cross-border planning, City Regions; settlement patterns that prevent urban sprawl and squandering of territorial resources; measures to prevent air pollution, traffic congestion and excessive commuting; inter-territorial partnerships for planning and decision-making; inter-regional climate strategies and alliances
Polices and programmes: shaping the context for sustainable urban and rural development in Europe
Territorial and partnership-based development; LEADER, URBAN and similar approaches; customising sectoral strategies for territorial development; inter-territorial and cross-border development partnerships - the three strands of INTERREG; interlinking complex bottom-up processes; local and regional agenda 21 in the spirit of the Ålborg Charter; multi-level governance in the spirit of subsidiarity; scaling up successful pilot initiatives.
