International (De)Abandonment Congress
On October 2nd, our member Ricard Grau, from Laboqueria Arquitectura, participated in the “(Des)Abandonament” (De-abandonment) International Congress held at the Institute for Catalan Studies in Barcelona.
The gathering provided an opportunity to present the work currently underway as part of the Territori de Vincles project in the Vall del Corb and to share experiences with other initiatives addressing the challenges of depopulation, abandonment, heritage, and the future of rural areas.
During the congress, various approaches and experiences related to the transformation of rural areas were shared, creating a space for reflection and debate on the strategies needed to address depopulation and unlock new opportunities.
Against this backdrop, Territori de Vincles proposes a working method that seeks to move from diagnosis to action by connecting people, resources, and projects across key areas for the future of the Corb Valley: generational renewal in agriculture, housing, building renovation, heritage preservation, and resource recovery.
This perspective is rooted in the need to understand the territory based on its own capacities and resources—identifying what already exists and establishing connections to activate it. In this sense, heritage renovation, material recovery, access to housing, and the continuity of agricultural activities are all part of the same challenge: keeping rural areas alive and generating new opportunities within them.
For Laboqueria Arquitectura, participating in spaces like this makes it possible to share processes and insights with other stakeholders and initiatives working in rural contexts, and to continue exploring the role of architecture as a tool for territorial transformation.
In the face of abandonment, we must speak not only of what is being lost but also of everything we can still recover, connect, and reactivate.
The International (De)Abandonment Congress was organized by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the Ramon Muntaner Institute (IRMU), the Coordinator of Catalan Language Study Centers (CCEPC) and the Institute of Catalan Studies (IEC), and was held from 1 to 3 October 2026.
