Developing context-based approaches for rural-urban areas

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) - Innovative Training Network (ITN)

The Innovative Training Network (ITN) TOD-IS-RUR sets up an interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral network to make significant research contributions to the scientific and societal challenge of countering sprawl in Europe. The 9 Beneficiaries and 12 Partner Organizations create a unique platform for 10 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), providing cutting-edge training to analyze rural-urban place-making and develop novel, context-based planning schemes for rural-urban regions (RURs).

The network aims to extend the concept of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) to RURs with a context-based approach, in which interactions between mobility and urbanization are studied in relation to social and environmental qualities. The overall objective is to go beyond the urban focus and undifferentiated, model-based approach of current TOD research and practice, and extend TOD to RURs with a context-based approach. If Europe is to make a transition to inclusive and sustainable urbanization, this extension of TOD is essential, as most Europeans live in RURs, not just in urban cores. Yet, current TOD approaches are at odds with mobility-urbanization relations in RURs, generating socio-environmental side-effects and risks.

TOD-IS-RUR focuses on Transit Oriented Development (TOD), conceiving public transport as a backbone for socially Inclusive and environmentally Sustainable urbanization in European Rural-Urban Regions. Drawing on a wide range of European RURs and bringing in expertise from the interdisciplinary domain of urban studies (i.e. mobility studies; landscape research and design; transport justice; planning; social and historical geography; Science & Technology Studies (STS); environmental and transport history), research and training prepare a new generation of highly-skilled professionals to meet the challenge of sprawl and implement inclusive and sustainable planning schemes for RURs. Read more​