International Seminar ADDRESSING THE RURAL GAP: SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

21-22, October 2021

Conference Hall  Jerónimo de Ayanz Building - Research Institutes

Registration: http://www.unavarra.es/research-institutes/tablon+de+anuncios?contentId=261031

Abstract:

The seminar aims to provide a meeting point for debate and sharing of knowledge, policies, and innovation on the possibilities of addressing socio-territorial cohesion issues through accessibility. In the context of the transition towards a sustainable mobility new policies and regional strategies of non-conventional transport have been developed, such as car sharing and transport on demand. While the habitat structure, demographic imbalances and poor accessibility prevent many rural territories from consolidating a clear future for young people and social capitalisation, these new forms of mobility may indeed be seen as vehicle for transformative rural-urban connections. The conference is a Collaborating Event of the Safe, Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy 2030 of the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.

The first day focuses on research findings with two key speakers. Elisabetta Vitale Brovarone is a postdoctoral research fellow in spatial planning at Politecnico di Torino, Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST). Her research focuses on mobility, land use–transport interaction, and accessibility. She authored several publications, international research projects, among which ESPON URRUC–Urban-Rural Connectivity in Non-Metropolitan Regions and works such as Rural Accessibility in European Regions (con Cotella & Staricco, Routledge, 2021). Loukia-Maria Fratsea is a researcher at the Department of Geography of the Harokopio University of Athens. She is member of the Executive Committee of the European Sociological Association and the Research and the Study Group “Southern and Mediterranean Europe” (European Society for Rural Sociology). Her works focuses on socio-spatial mobility and rural development with special emphasis on migrants. She has participated in several international research projects on these topics and the results has been published in works, such as the recent chapter on “Transformative mobilities and urban-rural connections in Greece” (together with Papadoulos, in Figueiredo et al., Routledge, 2020).

In addition, the preliminary results of the RURAL ACCESS project (https://theruralgap.net/) will be presented in a round table discussion with the participation of Luis Camarero, professor of Sociology at the Department of Theory, Methodology and Social Change of the National Distance Education University, member of Research Study Group Southern and Mediterranean Europe (European Society for Rural Sociology); principal research of the Network of Excellence Socio-territorial Research and Rural Development (ISORURAL); and he is member of the Scientific Committee of the Ibero-Latin American Congresses of Rural Studies; Vicent Querol, research at Jaume I University; coordinator of the Scientific Committee of Urban Sociology of the Spanish Federation of Sociology; AND member of the Forum Nova Ruralitat; and Jesús Oliva, professor of Sociology at the Public University of Navarre: member of the Research Stream Rural-Urban Transformative Connections (European Sociological Association); and current coordinator of the Research and Study Group Southern and Mediterranean Europe (European Society for Rural Sociology).

The second day is dedicated to the policies and initiatives implemented in relation to non-conventional and sustainable forms of rural mobility. On the one hand, Berta Miranda Director-General of Transport and Sustainable Mobility of the Government of Navarra will participate. A region where interesting strategies for non-conventional rural mobility are developed. On the other hand, the intervention of Ignacio Santos, Director General of Transport of the Regional Government of Galicia, where transport on demand policies have been successfully implemented for more than a hundred rural areas. In addition, these initiatives are addressed by the round table with the interventions of María Medina, member of Sommobilitat (https://www.sommobilitat.coop/), the consumer and user cooperative society created in Catalonia for a sustainable mobility; Patxi Miranda, promoter of Kudea Go! (https://kudeaservicios.com/kudea-go/), the digital platform launched from Navarre to promote positive and sustainable rural mobility; Xavier Ginés, developer of Mobionrural (https://novaruralitat.org/mobionrural/), the application and research experiment carried out in Castellon (Valencian Community) to understand rural mobility and improve sustainability options; and Antxon Benito, coordinator of the mobility working group of the Territories and Social Innovation initiative developed by the El Hueco (https://www.nuevaruralidad.es/).

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