What can the EU do to promote culture in the peri-urban spaces (outside of urban centres), the suburbs and the periphery?

What is it about?

The second topic in Voices of Culture 2019 – 2021 will ask questions about the role of culture in spaces outside urban centres in Europe. How can new priorities, policies, actions and funding streams better support culture in non-urban areas?  

Why is it important?

For many years, cultural policy-makers have been focusing their work on major cities and urban development. A relatively large proportion of the EU population, however, is not based in main metropolitan areas, but hail from rural areas, towns and suburbs. According to EUROSTAT data, only 40.4% of Europe’s population live in cities. With the EU aiming at achieving a more balanced territorial development more attention has to be paid to non-urban, rural and peri-urban areas in the coming years.

Several cultural issues are salient in areas outside of urban centres such as:

• A lack of density of cultural institutions, creative makers and participants in cultural offers.
• A predominately stereotyping approach by policy-makers and the population when thinking about rural areas and the related cultural offers and activities.
• A misunderstanding of the different types of non-urban areas and the wide diversity of rural spaces and cultural use and non-use-patterns.
• An under-usage of urban-suburban-rural cooperation potential in culture.
• The misunderstanding of certain policy-makers that basic services in non-urban areas cannot be compensated by soft measures only, but require hard investments.
• An uneven availability and distribution of cultural funding and access to support structures in most areas outside the main urban centres.

How will we do it?

Successful applicants will be invited to a Brainstorming meeting and to a Dialogue meeting and share their input on several questions:

• Which key priorities should be addressed by policy makers concerning less-dense areas?
• Which cultural policies contribute to overcoming stereotypes, foster intercultural dialogue in non-urban areas and contribute to sustainable creative tourism and outstanding arts and cultural events outside the metropolises?
• What are the cultural policy answers to the different types of rural and non-urban areas?
• How can new cultural policies be developed for non-places like highways used by thousands of citizens every day?
• What are the new integrated cultural policies that can bridge the current gaps?
• Which transversal policy answers can the cultural policy develop together with the other policy areas concerned? What are the key features of a non-urban creative industries policy? What does ecological transformation mean for cultural policies in non-urban areas?
• What are the cultural policy answers for a more balanced access to cultural funding in the EU territories?

The discussion is of course not limited to these questions. Participants are encouraged to share their opinion on what other aspects they deem important.

When will it happen?

The Brainstorming meeting for the topic will place on the 4th & 5th of February 2020 at Fagus-Werk in Alfeld, Germany. Travel, accommodation, food will be provided by Voices of Culture.

The Dialogue meeting for this topic will take on the 28th of April 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. Travel, accommodation and food during the meetings will be provided by Voices of Culture.

Who is participating?

The call is open to representatives of the cultural and creative sectors (professional organisations, cultural institutions, non-governmental organisations, European networks, foundations, private organisations, local/regional authorities etc.) with relevant expertise on the topic “The role of culture in non-urban areas” who would like to contribute to discussions with the European Commission.

Organisations applying must be from one of the 28 EU Member States. 35 persons will be selected to participate in the Brainstorming and Dialogues meetings.

How to apply?

The call for applications is now closed. Results will be published on the 25th of November 2019.

Application deadline: 10^th of November 2019

Announcement of results: 25^th of November 2019