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Health, education, infrastructure, population development - what should the community section of the municipal plan emphasize? Maybe you have a bright idea to make the smallest municipality in Innlandet even better?
During the Norwegian National Science Week, the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and Etnedal Municipality invite you to Researchers Night in Etnedal.
On Friday, September 27th, planning professors Ulla Higdem and Kjell Overvåg will present some statistics and data about Etnedal before taking you into the Rural Planning and Innovation Lab (RUPIL).
Realistic Planning for small municipalities
The RUPIL method is currently being tested in three European countries, and in Etnedal, you will get a taste of it. The goal is to help local and regional decision-makers create realistic future plans for small municipalities experiencing population decline and/or changes in population composition.
The basis of the work is that population growth is not a prerequisite for development. Additionally, the researchers consider that EVERYONE can contribute to making a place a good place to live.
Therefore, Researchers Night is for EVERYONE who lives in Etnedal, wants to live in Etnedal, has a cabin in Etnedal, is a neighbor to Etnedal, spends work or leisure time in Etnedal - and everyone else who is curious.
Input is welcome
The researchers report their experiences from Etnedal to the RURALPLAN project and will make recommendations for policy development in rural areas in Europe.
In turn, Etnedal municipality can use the input received during Researchers Night as a basis for their municipal planning work.
About Researchers Night
"Researchers' Night" is an annual event that takes place across Europe on the last Friday in September. It aims to increase public interest and understanding of research and science. The event provides researchers with an opportunity to share their work and engage with the community through various activities. In Norway, this year's Researchers Night features different activities in Trondheim, Oslo, Bergen, Kongsvinger, and Etnedal.
Innovative Planning for rural areas
The european research project RURALPLAN is focusing on innovative planning in rural areas with population decline and/or changes in population composition. The RUPIL model, tested in the project, aims to strengthen planners across Europe in their work over time.
RURALPLAN is funded by the European ESPON program, and in Norway, it is driven by Innlandet County Municipality and the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. In Etnedal, there is only time to conduct a mini-lab, but the method is currently being fully tested in Os municipality in Østerdalen, Norway, Malung-Sälen in Sweden, and the Albula region in Switzerland.
