Values of Rural Communities in the Danube Region

Credits: Marius Voica

International Conference and Study Trip in the Danube Delta

Bring Your Rural Story to Bucharest - Join the International Conference on the Values of Rural Communities in the Danube Region

Rural communities are not the margins of the Danube story - they are at its heart. Across the region, villages hold architectural heritage, landscape knowledge, ecological intelligence and cultural memory that remain vital for the future of Europe. This international event invites stakeholders, researchers and practitioners to explore how these values can be preserved, strengthened and carried forward in a time shaped by climate change, demographic pressure and rapid spatial transformation. It also reflects the wider mission of Danube Ruralscapes: to support rural areas through shared knowledge, local identity and practical cooperation.

Bucharest, Romania. Credits: Catalin Cadan

From Conference to Field Experience

The event begins on 23 April 2026 in Bucharest, with the international conference hosted at “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urban Planning, Frescos Hall, where participants will engage with themes such as vernacular heritage, landscape planning, ecological values, intangible cultural capital, sustainable innovation and governance. The programme then continues as a study trip from 24 to 27 April 2026 through Tulcea County and the Danube Delta, connecting debate with direct experience in places including Vișina, Enisala, Sarichioi, Mila 23 and Sulina. This format turns the event into more than a conference: it becomes a shared journey through landscapes and communities that embody the values under discussion.

Mila 23, Danube Delta. Credits: Mani Gutău

Call for Contributions

The conference welcomes both stakeholders and academic researchers, including PhD students. Stakeholders are invited to contribute with a presentation in English, in Pecha Kucha format, presenting their own connection to rural territories and their stake in the themes of the project. Academic researchers may participate by submitting a short paper or by delivering an oral presentation on one of the conference themes. Both groups may attend the conference in person or online.

The submission deadline is 10 April 2026.

The organisers are especially interested in case studies and good practices from across the entire Danube Region, including places beyond settlements directly located on the Danube.

Stakeholder registration:
https://forms.gle/n4Afi4FSV5ZLFhG18

Academic researcher registration:
https://forms.gle/PbGqidzzKRprtxhT7