Futuring the Rural

 


Futuring is imagining possible evolutions, and planning our responses to it. Futurism is a discipline at the cross-roads between science, politics and art. Futurists watch trends to predict what is coming. They see the present world as a window on possible futures.  Futuring is about predicting, anticipating but also dreaming. 

'The goal of futuring is not to predict the future, but to improve it', said Edward Cornish, one of the founding fathers of futurism and editor of the Futurist Magazine (Cornish, 2004, p. 65). That is exactly what Futuring the Rural is about. In this blog, we try to imagine possible futures for the rural in North-Western Europe, a rural that is specific for this part of the world, and experiences specific evolutions. It is becoming an ever more diverse, multilayered and complex reality. Incorporating a multiplicity of perspectives and dimensions in our analyses and dreams, we aim to envision a better, more integrated, more resilient, more sustainable rural. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Landscape as a Social Connector

Image
  The hills of the Westhoek give depth to the landscape. I remember very fondly how my dad and me would drive to Kemmel with my grandma, to buy bread and to enjoy the view on the Kemmelberg. Conversations were always connected with the landscape. My dad would tell stories about his childhood, those would come alive by driving through the different places. I remember being grateful whenever I would be there with my grandma. I remember the tour my uncle gave me around the Westhoek, we would have endless conversations. When walking from Oostduinkerke to Nieuwpoort, my grandpa would explain how he placed the white sheets for the airplane that would take photos when he worked for the Flemish Land Company (Vlaamse Landmaatschappij). All my family members are passionate about at least one of the many landscapes in this diverse region. Kris and Luc from ‘Tuinsappen Lombarts Calville’ (http://www.tuinsappen.be/) share their passion for the fauna and flora in the valley of the Wijtschatebeek, wh
Read more

Community Spirit

It's not everyday you come across individuals talking so excitedly about their neighbours. Let’s face it, in today's society we don't talk to people; let alone our neighbours who are so close yet so distantly far in our social realm. Perhaps that's what attracts the residents of Westhoek to stay here despite the lack of food related facilities and long distances to the nearest grocery store. A friendly atmosphere is created by the community as a whole; thus allowing an informal network working interconnectedly to help one another. We talked to three residents today, who said that people in their villages rely on each other; they are dependent on their neighbours in case of emergencies, to do the groceries, or other essentials that are otherwise difficult to do on their own. It's sometimes really a big step for people to accept help. While they want to do it on their own and rely on themselves, it’s not easy to do so especially when there are physical and other healt
Read more

De Panne

Image
 De Panne is a municipality in the Western corner of Belgium, close to the Belgian border. Although not the biggest of coastal cities it is worth mentioning that it has it's own place in history. At the coast we can find the statue of Leopold 1, the first king of Belgium. This is not a coincidence as De Panne was the first place where Leopold 1 set foot on Belgian soil. Since then the small fisher village has evolved into a tourist hub, where it takes advantage of its position at the border. The village evolved in the latter stages of the 19th century into the tourist hub we know today. As it lays on the largest tramtrack in the world it is well connected with all the other Belgian holiday destinations at the coast. The economy especially booms in the summer where we see an increase in population from 11 000 to 60 000, with the mayor describing this as his own Werchter, as the tourists treat their stay in De Panne as a festival.  The city his proximity to the border can be seen as
Read more