Smart Development for Rural Areas

This book questions the framework of the Horizon 2020 strategy and the policies of smart development in rural and peri-urban areas. It concludes that smart development policies are well adapted to developed or intermediate regions, but not for more rural or peripheral regions. The development policies of rural areas must be adapted to their particular characteristics, economy, and diversity. It suggests exploiting natural and cultural amenities, developing multifunctional agriculture, promoting territorial innovation, and developing knowledge on ecological, socioeconomic processes and territorial governance.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 29 April 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into the framework of the Horizon 2020 strategy and the policies of smart development, posing a thought-provoking question: Is there any potential for a policy of smart development and smart specialization in rural and peri-urban areas? Through extensive analytical studies, empirical and econometric methods, and diverse European case studies, a series of conclusions are drawn.

While smart development policies are well-suited to developed or intermediate regions that encompass both rural and urban areas, they struggle to effectively address more rural or peripheral regions. Therefore, the development policies of rural areas must be tailored to their unique characteristics, including the structure of their economies (agriculture, small firms), their diversity (remote regions, intermediate regions, rural areas near urban areas), and their specific needs.

It is intriguing to leverage natural and cultural amenities, enhance the multifunctional nature of agriculture, promote territorial innovation in various forms, foster synergies between land and space uses, and develop knowledge about ecological, socio-economic processes, and territorial governance mechanisms.

These findings hold significant importance as they challenge the validity of the H2020 policy and the smart development and smart specialization policies, raising questions about their applicability to the entire European area, rather than solely focusing on urban and affluent regions. This book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers, and policy-makers in regional development, rural studies, spatial planning, and economic geography.

Weight: 444g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367493462