Rural Radicals – a path to non-urban revitalisation

Matching creatives with empty buildings and new funding models

With ever-increasing pressures on cultural institutions and artists in cities, more and more people are looking to non-urban areas to start creative communal spaces. The air is cleaner, the rent is cheaper and in many regions across Europe there is an abundance of vacant buildings. On top of that, many of those regions are desperate to attract young people and cultural and economic activity to avoid further depopulation. However, creatives often have the ideas but not the financial means to turn decaying buildings into communal hubs. Similarly, developing a new creative concept to integrate with existing structures and communities can be anything but a smooth process. This is where Rural Radicals comes in. Their goal is to empower community-led, cultural revitalisation in non-urban spaces. The platform connects aspiring city quitters, municipalities and other cultural stakeholders with decentralised finance models to make creative regeneration more accessible.

I recently had the pleasure to speak to Ella Overkleeft who is the founder of Rural Radicals. Ella has worked with social innovation in various locations across Europe in the field of policymaking, urban planning and events and has extensive experience in the cultural and creative sectors. She is currently based in Amsterdam while exploring communal projects in rural locations across Europe. 

BASIS Vinschgau Venosta, a social activation hub in South Tyrol

Co-working space at BASIS Vinschgau Venosta, a former military base

What made you want to start Rural Radicals?

After living in cities all my life, I felt the need for more nature and a slower pace of life. I started thinking about where this would be. That personal quest started developing in the last few years. As a professional in the culture and creative industries, I saw the pressure on spaces in cities and the extreme rental prices. Ownership is almost completely out of reach. Because of this urgency, more people started talking about moving to the countryside. As you know from City Quitters, creatives are often the pioneers who have the courage or vision to take the first step. And then there were a lot of articles in the media about houses in Italian villages for sale for one Euro, Spanish villages for sale... There were all these promotional campaigns for people to buy property in deserted villages. Another dynamic is also the decentralisation that's happening in the world in different sectors and more community-driven initiatives emerging. So I thought, okay, it's a very simple idea. How can we connect these properties with entrepreneurial creatives and new models of finance and governance? 

What is the mission of Rural Radicals?

The mission is to equip creators, individuals, groups, and local stakeholders or municipalities, with the resources for sustainable development of empty buildings in the countryside. We are working on a model for easier access to seed-funding for building acquisition. The vision is to contribute to rural revitalisation by turning vacant buildings into creative spaces. 

What are the main problems of the municipalities you work with? What are they looking for? What are their needs? 

A big problem is that the young people are leaving. There’s a lack of economic activity. The buildings are decaying, and there is no money in the municipal budget to renovate or build communal structures. And thus leaving these ghost cities with a majority of older people and less diverse communities. I think that's the main problem. At the same time, we have to be really careful not to bring the same dynamics that are present in our cities to the villages. Gentrification is definitely a risk I see. I'm aware of this and try to prevent this in my work, but I'm not sure it's possible. 

What measures could you put in place to mitigate the effects of gentrification?

It depends on the context. We have seen examples in creative communities in Poland where the house prices rose because of cultural activities, which enabled some of the locals to sell their homes and move to another area, which was more lively or nearer a big town. So the local community was happy with the development. But I think the key is to avoid speculation. If new people are coming in, it is important that they actually use the buildings and take part in the community. They don’t just buy a house to have an extra income.

From your experience what is the most successful way to connect newcomers with the community that is already there?

Well, it sounds quite simple, but it’s not always simple. Invite them, and start collaborative activities….  I work with BASIS Vinschgau Venosta for example, which is an old military base and social activation hub in a small village in northern Italy. It's one of the richest areas in Italy and quite conservative. They get support from the municipality but still, it's a fight. It’s a fight to get acknowledgement for their existence. Sometimes people have other interests, so there is no point in forcing collaboration. It might be better to exist parallel to each other. It really depends on the culture and the village. But I would say dialogue and collaborative activities are the best way forward to create mutual understanding. 

BASIS Vinschgau Venosta hosts and organises many communal events

What are the key stages or processes in your work?

It varies by project. We work with both existing and emerging spaces. Our work is about assessing the needs from different angles. Which policy frameworks are in place? Almost every region has a tourism vision or other agendas. So we map that and also assess the ecosystem the place is in. It’s very tailor-made. We can also help with the financial model, researching and doing project proposals to find funding. For example more alternative structures in both crowdfunding, crowd lending, and private equity, maybe impact investment. It's a kind of match-making. It is interesting because it's a sort of decentralisation of the real estate sector. For example, I collaborate with the REC, the Real Estate Research Centre from Politecnico di Milano. They are very willing to research these new models and see what can be done. It’s a new field that we are entering.

ruralradicals

A post shared by @ruralradicals

Why do you think creative regeneration in the countryside is important?

Well, my personal mission, let's say, which is very aligned with Rural Radicals, is to create space for human creative development. I want to help facilitate physical and mental space for people to do so... to experiment, to build community, let's say to implement the values of the new world. And being close to nature is a crucial element of it.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by the values of the new world? 

Well, I guess post-capitalist, post-neoliberal values, that you see coming through with the younger generations. I see our current system crumbling already, I think soon we will transition to a new system, whatever that might be. And, again, decentralisation, you see that in different fields in different sectors or different layers of society. With decentralisation, there are other sets of values in place. Those are more about intergenerational relationships, trust, community, and balance. Things that we feel straightaway, well, at least the balance, slowing down, when we live closer to nature. So these values are very important.

I still see a struggle with young people who have this real desire to live in a slower, more intentional way away from the city. When it comes to the reality of having a regular income and participating in the current culture, it still seems difficult. It depends on the field and your experience, but I often see people moving out for a while and then gravitating back to the city because they are feeling left out or are not able to make a living.

Yeah, I am living this reality. I'm in Amsterdam, and I'm in this rat race. As Rural Radicals is still in the start-up phase, I also have some other things on the side which are connected to the city to generate income. I know exactly how this feels. I speak to a lot of people who work a 50/50 model, half a year in the city, and half a year in the countryside. But you cannot have a countryside space if you want to have a permaculture garden for example. This needs full attention. So that’s where the community comes in. You can share the work that a place in the countryside brings. So this idea of sharing houses is also very much upcoming in cities because of rising costs. But then there’s also privacy....what do you share? The practical side of things is often not so straightforward.

Yes. I also see new forms of communities emerging that go beyond the nuclear family. Intergenerational living is also very interesting.

That's something I definitely learned by living in the countryside. In a way, I became a little bit more conservative. I've seen more traditional values. Like in Silandro in the Alps, there are these big family houses and three generations live together. You're just in it together the whole time. The community is smaller, and you'll see the same people all the time. While in the city there's this swipe culture, on any level, not just with dating apps, also with friendships. You can always exchange people and things. It’s an on-demand culture. So I asked myself, would I be able to live with my grandma and my parents in the same house… I don't know? But I found it very beautiful. 

Would you agree with the critique that leaving the city is only possible for people who have money (something I get asked a lot)? What's your point of view?

Yeah, I guess even thinking about it can be seen as a privilege, because many people don't even have the headspace. And yes, you have to pay for travel to visit potential spaces, you have to find a way to fund the renovation of these old buildings. But on the other hand, living in the countryside can also be a lot cheaper than living in the city. When you make use of the land and everything it has to offer… And obviously, you're not going out to dinner that much, or however you spend your money in the city because you're working on the house. So once people have the mental and financial capacity to make the step it can be very affordable.

Ella Overkleeft

What projects or initiatives are you excited about this year?

This year is a pivotal one for Rural Radicals as we are awaiting some big EU projects with long-term funding. What I'm most excited about is to really test the model of financing and ownership for these rural spaces, it would be great if we can scale that in the upcoming years and help as many spaces as possible! I'm also looking forward to working with new clients: they are all so different. Their journeys inspire me and stimulate me to proceed with our mission.

THANK YOU ELLA!