The course is a continuation of the course Rural Development of the 5th semester.

The course aims at offering the possibility of designing and implementing an integrated methodology adapted to the needs of territorial development and of the preparation of a territorial action plan.

This methodology, combining methods, tools and techniques, contributes to the identification, promotion and activation of local territorial resources. It aims at acquiring competencies and skills preparing a territorial action plan based mainly on participatory planning and implementation of a territorial diagnostic focusing on:

a) territorial resources construction,

b) cooperation and coordination forms (governance); and

c) the participatory guarantee system of the products’ authenticity and quality.

The course provides specialized knowledge to students in order to use the space representations and virtual mobility:

1. towards enhancing the participation and the effectiveness of consultations (consensus, decision-making),

2. in the processes of “construction” of territorial resources (location, revelation) in combination with their spatial characteristics and the necessary micro-spatial interventions.

In particular, the content of the course contributes to the ability of students to design and implement a territorial diagnostic by exploring the potential of an area to a) respond with its resources to quality consumer expectations (agri-food, alternative tourism) and b) valorize European and national policies. The course contributes to the formation of researchers that can follow a bottom-up approach for the problem of an area and seek solutions by co-producing information with local actors.

The implementation scales concern communities, Municipalities, inter-municipal collaborations and initiatives of groups of local entrepreneurs and other actors.

The course is organized in 8 basic modules which are focused: the 1^st, on the citation of the basic definitions concerning the theoretical approach of territorial development. The 2^nd, on the presentation of methods and tools of interactive geo-visualization applied in the course. The 3^rd, on the participation and consultation issues for the study elaboration but also the territory organization afterwards. The 4^th, on the central issue of the territorial resources’ construction (material elements identification and integration into value chains). The 5^th, on the Strategy and the Action Plan for valorizing territorial resources. The 6^th, on the territorial resource activation through the final product and the territorial marketing. The 7^th, on the planning and implementation of a quality based participatory guarantee system and ensuring the resources’ reproduction. Finally, the 8^th, on cooperation forms and governance which consist the key to the sustainability of the action plan.

The course also presents examples of planning and implementation of action plans that valorize territorial resource, from the research and field studies coordinated, organized and implemented by the Laboratory of the Rural Area. During the course, a field trip is foreseen in the study area which will be the subject for the Collective Territorial Plan (written assignment/paper). Finally, it is foreseen, for students who are interested, the realization of an Internship to an Institution of the Cooperation Network that the Laboratory of Rural Space has developed (in Greece or abroad).

The course is organized with the following lectures:

1. Introduction. Course organization. Theoretical framework and Definitions of concepts related to Territorial Development (territorial resources, local actors and multi-partnership cooperation and coordination forms, consultations, etc.)

2. Territorial methodology: methods and tools of interactive geo-visualization (Geovisualization-public participation GIS, drones mapping), examples of application

3. Active participation of local actors (Actor Selection: connoisseurs and Leaders, Resource detection-mapping (functionality and potential actors involved)

4. Consultation: resource selection, cooperation and support issues (ecosystem),

5-6. Construction of territorial resources (Identification of resource’s tangible and intangible components, Assessment of condition and intervention needs for each component, tangible–intangible components’ bonds, Grouping and integration into resource chain links)

7. Territorial resource valorization strategy and action plan

8-9. Resource activation (final product production (goods or services), Activators and driving force, Territorial marketing)

10-11. Maintaining quality and ensuring the territorial resources reproduction (Participatory Guarantee System)

12. Cooperation forms and governance

13. Project Presentation

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