- Landscape Heritage and Sustainable Tourism
- Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change
- Innovative and Smart Answers to Horizon 2020
- Rural-Urban Interactions in a Changing Society
- Social Challenges for a Smiling Future
Landscape Heritage and Sustainable Tourism
Landscape Heritage and Sustainable Tourism focus on the importance of local and regional landscape heritage and its significance to the development of rural territories. What are the main challenges the rural settlements are dealing with in a more globalized world? Is tourism a good solution to solve the problems of these territories? And is tourism a good opportunity for rural territories to take profit of its potentialities and creativity in order to construct a more smiling future? If yes, which is the way for getting an effective sustainable tourism strategy? In such a sensitive territories, one must look for an answer using a holistic approach to which all stakeholders must contribute.
Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change
Climate change impacts and responses are currently observed in physical and ecological systems. The extent to which ecosystems, food supplies, and sustainable development are vulnerable or "in danger" depends both on exposure to changes in climate and on the ability of the impacted system to adapt. Adaptation to these impacts is increasingly being observed in both physical and ecological ways as well as in human adjustments to resource availability and risk in different spatial and societal scales.
Innovative and Smart Answers to Horizon 2020
In a world increasingly urbanized, problems increase particularly those that focus on rural areas. Indeed, while demonstrating clear progress, rural areas are subordinate, so abandonment increases and the agricultural community, discouraged, decreases.
Concerning the Horizon 2020 and the future, the European areas are structured in several strategies where the growth is privileged, but in a setting where sustainability and smart ideas come together to achieve a viable and competitive economy. So multifunctional solutions appear, but also projects where technical and environmental and social ties are combined within a covering that does not sub-ordinate the role of farmers and residents, actually preserving landscapes. So the territories are (re) invented, the traditions and the culture are recovered, increases in the biological side, environmental issues are emphasised but in alternatives use, revitalized and innovated, combining tradition and innovation, and, of course, development is increased. A territorial cohesion, in social and economic terms, becomes in perspective, but differentiated, intelligent, attractive and sustainable.
Rural-Urban Interactions in a Changing Society
Rural – Urban interactions are a pertinent topic in a society in transition into a sustainable model. Indeed in Nature everything is connected as we acknowledge today according to an holistic approach and the emergence of new values and expectations.
This thematic session welcomes papers dealing with new trends, from permaculture and proximity economy, to innovative food production and supply models, from low carbon projects to alternative energy “proconsumers”.
Let’s bring the countryside into the city, without taking the city into the countryside, as suggested by Ribeiro Telles, will be our motto.
Social Challenges for a Smiling Future
Despite the hope that the new millennium would help to resolve the obstacles to sustainable development these still exist and multiply, in particular in social and cultural contexts. Problems still persist in rural areas where the level of population is falling alarmingly. The local economic structure is restricted with an aging population and where unemployment is reaching unthinkable levels, particularly among young active people. Nevertheless, there is still potential for effective development of these areas.
According to the strategic priorities of Horizon 2020, the focus to mitigate these problems is on territorial cohesion, to achieve a development where inspiration, creativity and revitalization are present. This raises different and innovative strategies (cultural, economic, social and environmental) that, fortunately, are combined with traditional, local, distinctive and specific historical roots.
This is, effectively, to reinvent the territory on a different scale. The best way of achieving this is to develop and enhance local expressions, but in a setting where quality of life and sustainability are assured.