The development and connectivity of rural areas, along with their interaction with urban regions, is a critical concern for Thuringia and many European regions. Over the past 10 years, the IBA Thüringen (International Construction Exhibition) has gained valuable experience in shaping rural spaces, which resulted in the attached position paper of IBA Thüringen. These experiences, combined with interdisciplinary research on rural areas at the Bauhaus University Weimar, strongly link to the values and principles of the New European Bauhaus. We aim to share our experiences and recommendations with other European regions and institutions to contribute to the discussion on future policy development. This is particularly relevant given the new commission's focus areas and the upcoming funding period from 2028-2035.

This event aims to initiate a co-design process in collaboration with like-minded European regions. We invite you to share your experiences, discuss, and contribute to the thematic topics of the World Café sessions: (1) Buildings as a Resource, (2) Mobility and Digitalisation, and (3) Community and Society. Your active participation and input, or that of your region, would be invaluable to this collaborative effort, so bring them to the table!

The results of the World Café will be shared with representatives from DG RTD, DG AGRI, and JRC, who will also engage with us in discussions about future developments at the European level.

The event's outcome will be the development of joint recommendations, demands, and ideas for the future development of rural spaces in Europe. These will provide valuable input for future discussions at the EU, national, and regional levels. Ideally, such co-designed action recommendations will serve as a concrete manifestation of the ten goals of the EU's Vision for Rural Areas and the associated EU Rural Pact, which European regions can endorse.