The R-MAP project officially commenced its journey on February 2024, marking the beginning of a groundbreaking initiative to address the urban-rural gap in Europe and beyond. The project’s kick-off meeting took place on February 12 in Thessaloniki, Greece coordinated by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh).

Bringing together 12 partners from 7 countries, experts from various disciplines are uniting to tackle the multifaceted challenges posed by remote work. Funded by the European Union, R-MAP sets out to map, understand, assess and predict the effects of remote working arrangements on communities.

The project’s core mission involves developing innovative solutions to bridge the urban-rural divide exacerbated by the adoption of remote work practices. By leveraging advanced modeling techniques and interdisciplinary approaches, the project seeks to develop a comprehensive understanding of the social, economic and spatial dynamics associated with remote work. Additionally, R-MAP aims to engage policymakers and stakeholders in shaping the future of work,  crafting tailored policy recommendations to encourage equitable development and bridge the urban-rural divide.

Over the next three years, R-MAP will undertake six regional use cases, spanning diverse geographical and socioeconomic contexts, to explore the impacts of remote work on communities and identify strategies in order to foster inclusive growth and development.

Key objectives of the R-MAP project are:

• Gaining insights into current remote working arrangements and impact on working and living conditions.
• Developing a framework to assess the social, economic and spatial impacts of remote work.
• Creating a user-friendly platform for decision-makers to visualize remote work impact and trends.
• Predicting the effects of remote work and evaluate their potential impacts in 6 regional use cases.
• Engaging policymakers and stakeholders in shaping the future of work.
• Communicating & Deploying synergies.

As we embark on this journey, we invite you to stay tuned for updates, insights and opportunities to actively engage with the R-MAP project.

Join us as we foster urban-rural unity through digital opportunity!