The Times they are a-changing - a new European narrative on the adaptability of small places

Today we must navigate political, social, economic and technological change. There is a good German expression for this “Zeitenwende”. The social change we will focus on is demographic change and the economic competitiveness. We will build on previous projects like ESPON Ruralplan which looked at innovative planning in rural areas experiencing population decline or the pilot Small Places Matter (Territorial Agenda 2030) which looked at development.opportunties in rural areas. We will also like to draw on recent work on regional diversification. We will organise a participatory event (local dialogue) with an emphasis on an active dialog between speakers and participants including politicians.