Rural places in Europe are continuously facing a process of reshaping the socio-spatial relations. Many processes seem to be putting rural areas at risk at different levels: depopulation, lack of economic activity, environmental deterioration, closure of local services, rural-urban gap, and so forth. This conference aims to explore some of the elements that may endanger the future of rural places, as well as those that may contribute to a fair, long-standing, and socially sustainable development of rural places by enabling a greater wellbeing of rural populations.

Therefore, this conference welcomes theoretical and empirical research on key processes of social change, whether they refer to remote, peripheral, intermediate, peri-urban, or sub-urban ruralities. Topics may stress old and new challenges faced by rural places and their sustainability, as well as those that may reinforce social and spatial justice amongst rural populations. Rural- urban dynamics and exchanges are considered important for understanding the challenges and opportunities for the wellbeing in in rural areas across Europe.