Rural Accessibility in European Regions. Exploring Uncharted Territory

Rural areas in Europe are characterised by a number of accessibility challenges, that are related and also contribute to worsen their poor socioeconomic conditions. Low density, scattered demand and large distance from the centres where services of general interest are located are typical features of these areas, that often struggle to invert the decline loops they have been trapped into. Despite the recurrence of these challenges in the majority of European countries and regions, comprehensive researches and policies focusing on rural accessibility are however surprisingly scarce in number and fragmented in scope, also as a consequence of the increasingly urban-centric approach that have characterised EU policy-making in the last 30 years. In this light, the chapter introduces the knowledge and policy gap that the present volume aims to fill, also in relation to the additional challenges and perspectives brought about by the recent pandemic crisis. Moreover, it serves as a roadmap for the reader as it introduces the rationale for the book, its structure and the contents that will be touched upon in the various contributions.