This report responds to the needs set out in Task 1.1 of the RUSTIK (Rural Sustainability Transitions through Integration of Knowledge for improved policy processes) project:
- Critical review of rural change and rural area definitions
- Identification of the concept of Functional Rural Area and the differences/similarities with the current definitions of rural areas at the European level (including EU and non-EU countries). This implies analysing the functional characteristics of rural areas, their importance in the different contexts and interlinkages between urban and rural areas based on these characteristics
- Analysis of the different transition processes and their effects on rural areas
- Definition of a general typology of rural diversity
