Transtat – Stations in transition in the Alps

Today’s mountain resorts are faced with the challenge of global change, including its impact on the climate: all the players in the region, as well as visitors, day-trippers and sojourners, have to face up to the impact of global warming, but often lack a frame of reference in which to act.

In the face of this vulnerability, the economic model of mountain resorts is being called into question: what is the future for these mountain territories, in terms of tourist appeal, maintaining populations, activities and services? How can we promote the implementation of resort transition projects, based on new modes of tourism, economic, social and environmental development?

Against this backdrop, the Transtat project aims to facilitate the collective construction of transition processes (both tourism and territorial) in mountain resorts and territories. To this end, it mobilizes a network of ten resorts – considered living labs – located in five European countries (Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France), with which it implements a participative and inclusive approach involving scientists and a range of economic and public stakeholders, as well as local residents. In France, the resorts of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse and Megève are involved in the project.

The project aims to develop scenarios and co-constructed solutions capable of responding to the challenges identified and promoting sustainable models. It will thus be able to contribute to policy orientations at national, regional and local levels.

On the French side, the Transtat project also involves Raffaella Balzarini (project manager, Lessem/Inrae), Véronique Reynier (UGA/Pacte) and Mathieu Schoendoerffer (UGA/Pacte).

This project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Alpine Space program, Priority 1.