The concept of smart villages and a rural home development strategy

Abstract

For many, rural areas are simply considered the place for agricultural activities and food production. However, rural spaces perform much wider functions: they are residence, place of employment and living space for many families. Rural areas provide workplaces, basic amenities and public services. The digital innovation of the last decades led to such economic and social changes that ‘smart settlement’ strategies became necessary. Since then, the interpretation of smart settlements (covering both cities and villages) has been discussed among professionals and researchers. Several international and now also national theories and concepts have been formulated, but their viability depends on how the resulting projects, when implemented, improve the living conditions of the population and how they can enhance local well-being. These concepts agree on one point: that all investments hinge on the cooperation and attitude of the actors involved. Therefore, one of the most important, even decisive, factors is human capital, the mental and emotional situation of the community concerned.

The concept of smartness has also gained momentum and importance in the context of the EU’s rural development policy. In addition to agricultural developments, smart solutions are increasingly being promoted to enhance local well-being by improving endogenous resources and thus contributing to sustainable development. New economic functions are emerging that require a different education, employment and service strategy. First and foremost, however, intelligent rural development requires a coherent policy that is noticeably capable of promoting innovation, learning and knowledge in a rural environment.

Recent experience suggests that both the integration of digital technologies into development strategies and the introduction of such innovations lead to an improvement in the quality of life, a higher standard of living and improved public services. At the same time, local resources are used more effectively and environmental impact is decreased. The complexity of the subject is unmistakably evident. As a consequence, it is virtually impossible to draw up a uniform rural development plan. Rather, the smart rural strategy must focus on the endogenous resources of the respective rural area and integrate intelligent technological solutions into smart rural development; it must be essentially geared to local conditions such as infrastructure, the business environment, human capital, economic and social capacities and other components of territorial capital. The focus of this study is the investigation of those strategies that, in addition to the Smart City concept, also deal with the system and the shaping of Smart Villages.