| Popis: |
This paper aims to call attention to the importance of demographic renewal of rural areas by introducing the concept of "smart villages". The vision of "smart villages" and their development integrates key factors of networking and creating benefits for rural communities, as well as finding practical solutions for the transformation of rural areas and their future development. Initiatives for the implementation of this concept involve the entire rural environment, clusters of rural settlements, small towns and connectedness with big cities. The research presented in this paper focuses on the imperative to find new demographic solutions that would support the development of rural communities in the future. The key hypothesis the paper builds on is that rural areas are of great importance in addressing the many socio-economic, demographic, environmental, innovatory and technological challenges, substantial for development of the economy and society. Another important point to note is the specific hypothesis assuming that the past rural development models and strategies have not significantly contributed to the demographic renewal of rural areas, despite their initial positive changes. The conclusion suggests that human capital is the foundation of the development of rural communities and their competitiveness, as well as that rural areas that have the ability to attract quality workforce have a great competitive advantage in terms of integrated sustainable rural development. |
