Guidebook on how to become a Smart Village
The Guidebook on How to Become a Smart Village provides practical guidance for rural communities interested in developing and implementing Smart Village approaches, as well as organisations supporting them. It draws on two years of experience from the Smart Rural 21 project, which worked with selected rural communities across Europe and engaged more than 100 additional ‘Come Along!’ villages through exchanges and capacity-building activities.
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The guide first explains the Smart Village concept, including what is meant by a ‘village’ and by being ‘smart’. It emphasises that innovation needs to be understood in its local context and that Smart Villages are not simply about digitalisation. Digital technologies can provide useful solutions, but the focus should be on innovative approaches that involve and benefit local communities.
Social innovation and community participation are therefore important elements of the concept. The guide also explains the relationship between Smart Villages and LEADER/Community-led Local Development (CLLD).
A second part provides guidance on developing a smart village strategy. It discusses why a strategy can be useful, its key components and possible funding sources. The guide stresses that strategies should be owned by the community and developed through a participatory process rather than primarily as a means of accessing funding. It presents a framework linking local challenges, needs, assets and opportunities with a community’s vision, objectives, planned actions and required resources.
The final part focuses on implementing strategies through smart solutions. It discusses how communities can identify solutions suited to their own circumstances, find specialist expertise, learn from other villages and involve local people in planning and implementation. Examples from Smart Rural 21 communities cover areas such as e-care, youth engagement, digital services, re-use of buildings, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and smart mobility.
Why it is useful for rural areas
The guide translates the Smart Village concept into practical considerations and steps for rural communities. It combines guidance with experience from communities that developed strategies and tested solutions through the Smart Rural 21 project, highlighting both opportunities and challenges encountered during the process.
Rather than offering a comprehensive toolkit or a single model to follow, the guide provides a framework, lessons and links to further tools and resources that communities can adapt to their particular context. It also connects readers to complementary Smart Rural 21 resources, including the roadmap toolbox, Smart Village strategies and smart solutions database.
Who is this resource for?
The guide is primarily intended for rural communities wishing to become ‘smarter’ and organisations supporting them. It may also be useful for local authorities, Local Action Groups and rural development practitioners seeking to better understand and facilitate Smart Village processes.
About the initiative
Smart Rural 21 was project funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI). It supported rural communities across Europe to experimentally develop and implement smart village strategies and solutions and draw lessons from their experience.
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