Driving change in rural areas through culture and creativity

What does it mean to create something new? This is a complex question for Genalguacil, a small town in the mountains of Andalusia whose history dates back 3,000 years to Phoenician times. Genalguacil, as it is today, was built during the Moorish period. Its urban planning incorporated influences from Roman, Byzantine and Visigothic architecture, combining them with Islamic and North African Berber traditions. The urban design features intricate geometric patterns the use of water and the creation of tranquil interior spaces. 

The smart city of the past

Today, Genalguacil is one of the ten most beautiful villages in Spain. As one of Andalucia’s pueblos blancos it stands out for impressive tilework and the harmonious integration of courtyards and gardens with water features. The strategic use of light and thermic conditions makes it a prime example of a ‘Smart City of the Past’.

On 14 November 2024, around 100 inhabitants of Genalguacil and guests gather on the third floor of the public library “Veremundo Álvarez”. Newly renovated it has opened its doors for the inauguration of PACESETTERS Real World Laboratory Valle de Genal.

Due to a travel ban caused by heavy storms across the country, government officials are holding their speeches via video conference. Benito Burgos, Deputy Director General for Cultural Cooperation in the Spanish Ministry of Culture, highlights the key role of culture  and creativity. “The Real World Laboratory is a space of not only individual, but collective imagination. This capacity is essential for the development of our rural communities and territories.”

In fact, it is not its architectural heritage, but contemporary art that has enabled Genalguacil, a town of 500 people which not long ago had four times as many inhabitants, to stop depopulation. Recently, the number of residents has even begun to increase, according to the mayor, Miguel Angel Herrera Guiterrez. 

The two-day programme for the opening of the Real-World Laboratory has been designed to initiate processes for creating shared spaces for learning by doing. Local residents and PACESETTERS researchers hosted a series of round-table discussions in the format of a merienda, late afternoon coffee and cake gatherings intended to facilitate informal conversation. 

A space of not only individual, but collective imagination

Artists and policy makers, local entrepreneurs and representatives of civil society organisations participated in these round-tables discussing the challenges for entrepreneurship and innovation from a rural or remote perspective.

The opening of the Real-World Laboratory generated not only wide-spread media coverage regionally and provincially. Most importantly, it was characterised by high levels of local engagement that demonstrated openness to new forms of conversation and collective action. 

As a result a local working group has been formed, but the event also helped establishing connections to other groups and initiatives in neighbouring villages in the Valle Del Genal, as well as across to the province of Cadiz. Due to the remarkable support from the national government, strategic links were established across various ministries: the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.