What can the EU do to promote culture in the peri-urban spaces (outside of urban centres), the suburbs and the periphery?
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?
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:
Successful applicants will be invited to a Brainstorming meeting and to a Dialogue meeting and share their input on several questions:
The discussion is of course not limited to these questions. Participants are encouraged to share their opinion on what other aspects they deem important.
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.
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.
The call for applications is now closed. Results will be published on the 25th of November 2019.
Application deadline: 10th of November 2019
Announcement of results: 25th of November 2019