References

Original Reference: Rural Europe: Our Contract with Rural Europe – A Five-Point Plan for Europe’s Heartlands | Martens Centre

Brief Summary: Outlines a five-point action plan for revitalizing rural Europe with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and community. Implications: Encourages rural-urban collaboration for sustainable growth. Recommendations: RAPs should adopt key components of this five-point plan to boost rural economies and build stronger urban connections.

URL: https://www.martenscentre.eu/publication/rural-europe-our-contract-with-rural-europe-a-five-point-plan-for-europes-heartlands/

Original Reference: Enhancing Innovation in rural regions - OECD

Brief Summary: This report highlights innovation strategies used in rural Scotland to foster economic growth and resilience. RAPs should focus on promoting innovation in rural economies, particularly in agriculture and technology. PoliRuralPlus pilots can use these strategies to enhance rural-urban connections and stimulate economic opportunities.

URL: https://www.oecd.org/innovation/inno/rural-innovation-scotland.pdf

Original Reference: Enhancing Innovation in rural regions - OECD

Brief Summary: The report focuses on how rural innovation has driven economic transformation in the USA, particularly through digitalization and small business support. RAPs should emphasize the role of digital innovation in rural areas, with lessons that PoliRuralPlus pilots can adopt to strengthen regional economies and improve connectivity with urban centers.

URL: https://www.oecd.org/innovation/inno/rural-innovation-usa.pdf

Original Reference: OECD report

Brief Summary: Focuses on innovation as a key driver for rural growth. Implications: Innovation is critical for the success of PoliRuralPlus pilots. Recommendations: Strengthen rural innovation ecosystems in RAPs, focusing on digital infrastructure and SME support​.

URL: https://www.oecd.org/regional/rural-development/Rural-innovation-background.pdf

Original Reference: SHERPA,

Brief Summary: Focuses on integrating rural regions into broader socioeconomic frameworks. Implications: Highlights the importance of connectivity in rural development. Recommendations: Strengthen digital and infrastructural connectivity in RAPs to ensure rural areas are integrated into regional economies.

URL: https://www.rural-interfaces.eu/

Original Reference: Rural Marginalisation and the Role of Social Innovation; A Turn Towards Nexogenous Development and Rural Reconnection | Request PDF (researchgate.net)

Brief Summary: Explores how social innovation can address rural marginalization. Implications: Highlights the potential of social enterprises in bridging the rural-urban divide. Recommendations: RAPs should foster social innovation initiatives to revitalize marginalized rural areas through inclusive development strategies.

URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350566691_Rural_Marginalisation_and_the_Role_of_Social_Innovation_A_Turn_Towards_Nexogenous_Development_and_Rural_Reconnection

Original Reference: Rural Pact

Brief Summary: An initiative for mobilizing stakeholders around rural revitalization in the EU. Implications: Strengthens the policy framework for rural-urban linkages. Recommendations: RAPs should align with the Rural Pact's objectives to foster stakeholder engagement and integrated regional development【32†source】.

URL: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/index_en

Original Reference: Making the Rural Pact happen in Member States | Rural Pact Community Platform (europa.eu)

Brief Summary: Focuses on strategies to make the EU’s Rural Pact vision a reality. PoliRuralPlus RAPs should align with these strategies to create more connected and sustainable rural-urban regions.

URL: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/publications/making-rural-pact-happen-member-states_en#section--resources

Original Reference: Community Groups

Brief Summary: This platform supports collaboration across rural and urban communities in the EU to build a stronger rural future, aligning with the long-term vision for rural areas. Implications: Enhancing collaboration among rural stakeholders can strengthen rural-urban links. Recommendations: Include mechanisms for stakeholder engagement in regional action plans to ensure participatory development processes and strong rural-urban collaboration on issues like infrastructure, sustainability, and local economies.

URL: Rural Pact Groups

Original Reference: Rural Pact Support Office (RPSO)

Brief Summary: Provides support for implementing the Rural Pact. Implications: Essential for capacity building and implementation of RAPs. Recommendations: PoliRuralPlus pilots should engage with the Support Office to access resources and tools for their RAPs.

URL: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/RPSO_en

Original Reference: The SMARTA Project » Good Practices (ruralsharedmobility.eu)

Brief Summary: This resource provides case studies and best practices for shared mobility solutions in rural areas. Implication: PoliRuralPlus pilots should explore implementing shared mobility projects to enhance connectivity between rural and urban areas.

URL: https://ruralsharedmobility.eu/good-practices/

Original Reference: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/good-practice_en

Brief Summary: This page showcases best practices from the Rural Pact, illustrating successful rural revitalization and urban-rural integration projects. Implications: Learning from successful examples can guide RAP development. Recommendations: Include similar best practices in RAPs, promoting cross-regional cooperation, sustainable tourism, digitalization, and community-led initiatives to strengthen rural-urban linkages .

URL: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/good-practice_en

Original Reference: Good practices | Rural Pact Community Platform (europa.eu)

Brief Summary: Provides examples of successful rural development initiatives across Europe. PoliRuralPlus should leverage these best practices to enhance its RAPs by incorporating innovative rural-urban cooperation models and solutions.

URL: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/good-practices_en

Original Reference: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/rural-revitalisation_en

Brief Summary: This section discusses various strategies to revitalize rural areas through the Rural Pact framework, focusing on community engagement, investment in green infrastructure, and digital transformation. Implications: Rural revitalization is essential for achieving regional cohesion. Recommendations: RAPs should include measures that promote green infrastructure and digital skills in rural areas to foster economic growth and resilience .

URL: https://ruralpact.rural-vision.europa.eu/rural-revitalisation_en

Original Reference: Rural SMEs | Interreg Europe

Brief Summary: Investigates the role of SMEs in rural development. Implications: Critical for economic diversification in rural areas. Recommendations: RAPs should focus on supporting SMEs to foster economic resilience in rural regions【33†source】.

URL: https://projects2014-2020.interregeurope.eu/ruralsmes/

Original Reference: From “Better Food Systems For Better Rural-Urban Linkages”, Rural21_4_2018.Pdf

Brief Summary: This issue discusses the challenges and opportunities related to rural-urban migration, with a focus on employment, livelihoods, and sustainable rural development. Implications: Migration flows affect labor dynamics in rural regions. Recommendations: RAPs should focus on creating job opportunities in rural areas to reduce migration, while improving service delivery and infrastructure for those who remain in rural areas.

URL: Rural 21 Issue 4/2018

Original Reference: Rural vision

Brief Summary: A European initiative to foster dialogue on the future of rural areas, addressing challenges and opportunities for urban-rural cooperation. Implications: Promotes stakeholder engagement and long-term planning for rural and urban development. Recommendations: RAPs should include public consultations and multi-stakeholder forums for inclusive rural-urban strategy development.

URL: https://rural-vision.europa.eu/index_en

Original Reference: CODECS,

Brief Summary: INSPIRER provides a framework for fostering rural development in the EU, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and community engagement. Implications: This initiative helps guide rural regions toward sustainable development and closer rural-urban integration. Recommendations: Incorporate INSPIRER's strategies into regional action plans, emphasizing innovation, digital infrastructure, and sustainable rural development. Promote cross-regional collaboration to enhance rural economies, support local entrepreneurship, and foster stronger rural-urban ties.

URL: Rural Vision Initiative

Original Reference: The Rural Observatory

Brief Summary: This tool offers maps and data to analyze rural areas and their integration with urban regions. Implication: PoliRuralPlus can leverage this data to inform planning, assess connectivity, and develop tailored interventions based on geographic and demographic data.

URL: https://rural-vision.europa.eu/maps-data_en

Original Reference: OECD (2020), Rural Well-being: Geography of Opportunities, OECD Rural Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/d25cef80-en

Brief Summary: This OECD report addresses well-being disparities between urban and rural areas, emphasizing the need for targeted policies to improve living standards and opportunities in rural regions. Implications: PoliRuralPlus pilots can use this as a framework to ensure rural development policies prioritize quality of life. Recommendations: Develop well-being indicators and create policies that focus on improving health, education, and economic opportunities in rural areas.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1787/d25cef80-en