Tue
01
Apr
Events
Strengthening Ties: Highlights from the PoliTO-Ryukoku International Workshop Closing
From July 2024 to April 2025, the international workshop Revitalizing Shrinking Rural Areas through Social Innovation brought together an interdisciplinary team of master students and professors from Politecnico di Torino and Ryukoku University to explore innovative strategies for addressing the complex challenges faced by rural regions in Japan and Italy. The workshop was supervised by Professors Magda Bolzoni and Giancarlo Cotella (Politecnico di Torino), and Professors Naoko Oishi and Daisuke Abe (Ryukoku University), whose joint expertise in spatial planning, social innovation, sociology and community development provided critical guidance throughout the project.
The activity was framed by the recognition that rural areas in both Japan and Italy are facing similar socio-demographic challenges—such as aging populations, youth outmigration, and economic marginalization—despite being situated in very different cultural and policy environments. The core of the workshop’s activity revolved around the investigation of two case study areas: the Nantan region in Kyoto Prefecture (Japan), and the Lanzo Valleys in the Metropolitan City of Turin (Italy).
The project began in July 2024 with a series of online preparatory lectures delivered by an interdisciplinary team of lecturers from both universities. The centrepiece of the workshop was the week-long fieldwork program organised in Japan and in Italy, respectively held in September 2024 and February 2025.
The workshop culminated in April 2025 with the presentation of the final outcomes, which included a comprehensive report detailing the research findings, analysis of the fieldwork, and a set of actionable proposals for social innovation in rural contexts. The report also included reflections on the collaborative process itself, emphasizing the importance of international exchange and interdisciplinary learning for addressing complex territorial challenges. Overall, the workshop represents an interesting model of academic cooperation that bridges research and practice, theory and local knowledge, and different sociocultural contexts and perspectives. The active engagement of the interdisciplinary teaching staff was instrumental in fostering a rich, critical learning environment that empowered students to explore the transformative potential of social innovation for rural revitalization.
#Japan Hub
The activity was framed by the recognition that rural areas in both Japan and Italy are facing similar socio-demographic challenges—such as aging populations, youth outmigration, and economic marginalization—despite being situated in very different cultural and policy environments. The core of the workshop’s activity revolved around the investigation of two case study areas: the Nantan region in Kyoto Prefecture (Japan), and the Lanzo Valleys in the Metropolitan City of Turin (Italy).
The project began in July 2024 with a series of online preparatory lectures delivered by an interdisciplinary team of lecturers from both universities. The centrepiece of the workshop was the week-long fieldwork program organised in Japan and in Italy, respectively held in September 2024 and February 2025.
The workshop culminated in April 2025 with the presentation of the final outcomes, which included a comprehensive report detailing the research findings, analysis of the fieldwork, and a set of actionable proposals for social innovation in rural contexts. The report also included reflections on the collaborative process itself, emphasizing the importance of international exchange and interdisciplinary learning for addressing complex territorial challenges. Overall, the workshop represents an interesting model of academic cooperation that bridges research and practice, theory and local knowledge, and different sociocultural contexts and perspectives. The active engagement of the interdisciplinary teaching staff was instrumental in fostering a rich, critical learning environment that empowered students to explore the transformative potential of social innovation for rural revitalization.
#Japan Hub