RURITAGE: HERITAGE FOR RURAL REGENERATION

Among the rural areas in Europe, there are outstanding examples of cultural and natural heritage that need not only to be preserved but also promoted as drivers of economic competitiveness, as well as sustainable and inclusive growth. The RURITAGE project offers an innovative paradigm for rural regeneration based on heritage. It is founded on the identification of six systemic innovation areas, which represent ways in which cultural and natural heritage can act as drivers of economic and social development and environmental balance in rural areas. The innovative rural regeneration paradigm of RURITAGE enables the transformation of rural regions into demonstration laboratories for sustainable development by enhancing the unique potential of their cultural and natural heritage. Based on positive examples, the RURITAGE project supports the co-creation and implementation of heritage-based regeneration strategies in six replicators.

RURITAGE thus introduces a new, heritage-led approach to rural renewal, transforming rural areas into demonstration “laboratories” for sustainable development by strengthening their unique heritage potential. Based on past research and experience, RURITAGE has identified six systemic innovation areas and 11 cross-cutting themes that represent different ways in which cultural heritage can serve as a driver for the regeneration of rural areas and their economic, social, and environmental development.

The purpose of the RURITAGE project is to foster the potential of social innovations and ensure continuous knowledge transfer and mutual learning between partners and other stakeholders. It supports knowledge transfer and capacity building between role models and their replicators through four development phases and the implementation of heritage-based revitalization strategies in different regions.

The communication and dissemination activities of the RURITAGE project are aimed at strengthening the project’s impact and ensuring its broad translation into other contexts at regional, European, and international levels. The objectives of the dissemination and communication activities of the RURITAGE project are:

• Awareness-raising: Increasing awareness of the potential of cultural and natural heritage for sustainable development and rural competitiveness.
• Knowledge exchange: Disseminating knowledge developed within the project about heritage-based regeneration.
• Promoting change: Promoting the RURITAGE project paradigm for heritage-based rural regeneration and ensuring the EU’s leadership in global rural regeneration strategies.
• Enhancing impact: Supporting the replicators and role models developed within the project through communication.

RURITAGE includes 19 different case studies, represented by 19 rural communities that will participate in building or promoting their heritage-based regeneration strategies. These 19 communities comprise 13 role models, where heritage-based regeneration strategies have already been implemented, and six replicators, who will develop and implement their strategies during the project’s duration. This process will take place at the local level within so-called rural heritage hubs – communities of stakeholders and citizens engaged in physical spaces where knowledge transfer and all other project-related activities will occur.

Rural communities generally have less access to the arts; however, artistic activities and festivals in rural areas are becoming increasingly popular as a means of revitalizing local economies. They have direct and indirect effects on the community by providing opportunities for participation, skill development, volunteering, and fostering social, cultural, economic, and environmental development. The impact of art goes beyond measurable economic effects: it contributes to the quality of life by strengthening communities, providing specific activities and events, raising awareness of different cultures and identities, and enhancing a community image that people take pride in. By engaging young people, art and festivals can also foster youth entrepreneurship and a “creative rural economy,” offering inspiring jobs and entrepreneurial examples that are particularly attractive to young people.

The goal of the RURITAGE project is to engage all members of society and motivate them to participate in civil, social, economic, and political activities at the local level. To this end, a rural heritage hub will be established within each role model and replicator, serving as a central platform for innovation and discussion with stakeholders for the development, implementation, and monitoring of heritage-based rural regeneration plans. Each such hub has a designated coordinator responsible for its smooth operation and ongoing engagement with stakeholders.

The Rural Heritage Hub at Grad Negova will enable stakeholders and the local public to actively and community-orientedly manage heritage by providing infrastructure, strengthening local capacities, and facilitating skill transfer.

Call: H2020-SC5-21-2016-2017 – Cultural Heritage as a Driver for Sustainable Growth

The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 776465.

Project partners – 39 project partners from the following countries: Chile, Turkey, Spain, Austria, Romania, Italy, Iceland, Greece, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, France, Norway, Colombia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Poland, Finland, and the United Kingdom.

Project Coordinator: ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – University of Bologna, Italy

Total budget: €10,276,187.50

Project duration: 48 months