HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-01:land administration, land management, spatial planning and rural development

HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-01: Adapting to and mitigating demographic trends in rural areas through evidence-based planning and innovative solutions

The Land Laboratory is an action-research group of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) focused on land administration, land management, spatial planning and rural development. We have accumulated experience on rural development and regional land planning policies and practice, as well as on the application of Geospatial Information Technology and institutional innovation as cross-cutting elements. Besides, we have worked on numerous public participation processes and multi-actor platforms both in research and real-world land management projects. With the objective of facilitating these public participation processes, we have developed technological applications based on GIS-web or Public Participation GIS, which could be applied in this project. Other research lines of our group that could be useful for the project are those focused on land use/cover change analysis and simulation, green infrastructure for climate change adaptation or CAP.

Regarding this call, we would be interested on the study and analysis of the living lab proposed in RUSTIK EU project(network of “model villages” of Galicia), which could be one of the case studies used for evidence-based planning. We have a deep knowledge on the legal regulation and practical implementation of model villages, which could be useful to draw conclusions and propose solutions for rural revitalization.

Regarding research interest, we could contribute to knowledge advance on topics such as characterization and classification of rural areas typologies according to structural, demographical, economic, productive and environmental criteria or land use dynamics, as well as to classification and characterization of rural population settlements for planning of development strategies.

We have a wide experience on land abandonment and land use change (LUCC models) from a scientific perspective, reflected in research projects and publications, but also from a practical approach, since we were directly involved on the development on a regional law for recovery of abandoned agricultural land (Act 11/2021 for recovery of agricultural land of Galicia).

Regarding new innovative solutions for rural revitalization, we can contribute to proposals related to green economy based on green infrastructure and nature based solutions.

Possible local or institutional partners

Due to the close relationship of the research group with the regional ministry responsible for rural development we could provide partners from regional government (e.g., Agency of rural development of Galicia) and certainly local administration partners such as municipalities.