Introduction to rurality [SSMRM101]

Learning outcomes

At the end of this unit, students should be able to: • Describe the different representations of rurality held by local actors • Describe and interpret the evolution of European and Walloon rural territories with the help of reading grids • Identify the different driving forces that interact on rural systems at different spatial scales • Mobilise statistical and spreadsheet management tools to characterise spatial distributions within rural territories • Understanding the dynamic links between European and Walloon cities and countryside • Understand the different functions, linked to the different actors in rural areas • Communicating about the rural environment through oral presentations and poster technique • Conducting a field survey

Content

The Teaching Unit aims to approach the notion of rurality and the apprehension of rural systems under all its facets. A retrospective analysis will present the historical evolution of the rural world, and the links between urban and rural, in a European and Walloon context, without neglecting the interactions (impacts and influences) with the rest of the world. Recent developments, particularly in terms of increasing flows, including mobility, and the metropolisation of the countryside will be detailed in order to propose a typology of the countryside at European and Walloon levels. The consequences of these developments for socio-spatial inequalities, including gender and ageing in rural areas, will be illustrated. The different functions of the rural environment will also be described for the main sectors of rurality: agriculture, from a productivity function to the maintenance of a living environment and a structuring element of regional planning; forestry: from forestry to multifunctional forests, which are expected to meet the expectations of a growing number of stakeholders in rural areas; rural tourism, business parks, teleworking: how to reconcile the economic dynamism of a growing sector with socio-environmental sustainability; nature conservation in rural areas: from integral management to integrated management taking into account the needs of local stakeholders The different representations and symbols of rural identity will also be analysed. Finally, an important part will deal with notions of territorial foresight, focusing on issues of land use planning and mobility in rural areas, in the light of sustainable development.