On May 22, 2025, the second workshop for community engagement within project “RurALL – Livable Rural Communities of the Future – A New Integrated Governance Model to Address Rural Depopulation” took place in Hodod. The meeting program included presentations, debates and a workshop on providing prototyping solutions in Hodod for deteriorated or abandoned buildings. The workshop had four objectives: to discuss opportunities and challenges; to find solutions to common local challenges; to get inspired by the ideas of others and develop together; to develop (viable) prototypes. Through community engagement , concrete ideas were developed for the abandoned homes in the Hodod community. Three working groups were organized to identify some functionalities of the buildings after renovation:
- private (potential for individual use, single family use and multi-family use)
- commercial (potential for start-ups, small business, tourist services, etc.)
- public (potential for common good, serving community needs).
The workshop involved the development of prototypes, testing/presenting ideas, integrating feedback, and presenting prototyping results.
The Satu Mare County Intercommunity Development Association was represented at the workshop by the project implementation team, and the event moderator was Ms. Gyüre Rotariuc Noémi Andrea – chief architect at the Satu Mare County Council and expert in the project.
The RurALL project is funded through the Danube Region Programme 2021–2027 and aims to develop a governance model to address rural depopulation by improving planning, management, decision-making, and collaboration processes within rural communities to exploit the potential of abandoned/unused buildings. The project involves 14 partners from 11 countries, and the strategic associate partner of the Intercommunity Development Association of Satu Mare County in this project is Hodod Commune. The project will develop possible models for the rehabilitation of unused buildings in Hodod Commune to prevent depopulation in the area. The total value of the project is EUR 2,597,692.50, with EUR 159,700 allocated to the Association within the project framework.
