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THE SMART VILLAGE
EXAMPLES FROM POLAND
CONCEPT
SŁAWOMIR KALINOWSKI ŁUKASZ KOMOROWSKI ANNA ROSA
“European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas”,
Project co-financed from the European Union funds under the II Scheme of Technical Assistance measure
“Polish Rural Network” of the Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020,
The Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020 – the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Publication elaborated by the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences.
the smart village
EXAMPLES FROM POLAND
CONCEPT
the smart village
EXAMPLES FROM POLAND
CONCEPT
Sławomir KalinowSKi, łuKaSz KomorowSKi, anna roSa
warSaw 2022
Visit the website of the Polish Rural Network – http://ksow.pl
Become a partner of the Polish National Rural Network.
This publication is free of charge and was prepared as part of a project implemented
under the Polish National Rural Network Action Plan for 2014–2020
Originally published in Polish in 2021: S. Kalinowski, Ł. Komorowski, A. Rosa.
Koncepcja smart villages. Przykłady z Polski. Warsaw: Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish
Academy of Sciences
Review: PhD hab. Tomasz Wojewodzic, Professor, University of Agriculture in Kraków
Translation: Beata Moskała
Editor (English language version): Paweł Krzeczunowicz
Cover design: Jakub Jakubowski
Photos on the cover: Curioso Photography, rzoze19/Shutterstock.com
Layout:
Pracownia Wydawnicza Andrzej Zabrowarny
Publisher:
Centrum Doradztwa Rolniczego w Brwinowie Oddział w Warszawie
© Copyright by Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences,
Warszawa 2022
© Copyright by Agricultural Advisory Centre in Brwinów, Warsaw Branch Ofce, Warsaw 2022
© Copyright by Authors 2022
ISBN 978-83-961048-1-6
DOI: 10.53098/978-83-961048-1-6
Contents
......................................................................................................................................... 7
............................ 13
1.1 Idea of smart villages – theoretical overview .................................................................... 15
1.2. Reasons behind implementing the concept of smart villages .................................. 19
1.3. Implementation of the concept in European Union policy ........................................ 27
1.4. Challenges of enhancing the quality of life faced by smart villages ...................... 31
1.5 Smart city versus smart villages ............................................................................................... 35
...... 39
2.1. Organisation and methodology of the eld studies ...................................................... 41
2.2. Selection of municipalities for the study ............................................................................ 45
2.3. Scenarios of individual in-depth interviews ...................................................................... 48
2.3.1. IDI scenario – project initiator .................................................................................... 49
2.3.2. IDI scenario – project beneciary ............................................................................ 50
2.3.3 IDI scenario – local authorities ................................................................................... 50
2.4 Characteristics of the municipalities and initiatives surveyed .................................. 51
2.4.1 Dragacz Municipality ........................................................................................................ 51
2.4.2. Jarocin Municipality ........................................................................................................ 54
2.4.3 Magnuszew Municipality ............................................................................................... 56
2.4.4 Michałowo Municipality ................................................................................................. 58
2.4.5 Morawica Municipality ................................................................................................... 60
2.4.6. Olsztynek Municipality .................................................................................................. 63
2.4.7. Ryczywół Municipality ................................................................................................... 66
2.4.8. Rzeczenica Municipality ................................................................................................ 70
2.4.9. Staszów Municipality ...................................................................................................... 72
2.4.10 Szubin Municipality ....................................................................................................... 76
and intertwining of the initiatives ......................................................................................... 79
3.1. Smart solutions in infrastructure and technology ....................................................... 81
3.1.1. Dening smart villages in the infrastructural/technological context ...... 81
3.1.2. Reasons behind the initiatives implemented ...................................................... 83
3.1.3. The way smart initiatives are implemented ......................................................... 84
3.1.4. Effects and sustainability of the smart initiatives implemented ................ 86
3.1.5. Key resources .................................................................................................................... 87
3.2. Smart solutions in the social sphere ..................................................................................... 90
3.2.1. Dening smart villages in the social context ....................................................... 90
3.2.2. Reasons behind the initiatives implemented ...................................................... 94
3.2.3. The way the smart initiatives are implemented ................................................. 96
3.2.4. Effects and sustainability of the initiatives ........................................................... 97
3.2.5. Key resources ..................................................................................................................... 98
3.3. Smart solutions in the environment and agriculture .................................................... 100
3.3.1. Dening smart villages in the environmental and agricultural context ... 100
3.3.2. Reasons behind the initiatives implemented ...................................................... 102
3.3.3. The way the smart initiatives are implemented ................................................. 104
3.3.4. Effects and sustainability of the initiatives ........................................................... 106
3.3.5. Key resources ..................................................................................................................... 107
........................................ 109
4.1. Initiators ............................................................................................................................................. 114
4.1.1. Understanding the smart village concept ............................................................. 114
4.1.2. Reasons behind undertaking the initiative ........................................................... 115
4.1.3. Engaging local community and cooperation ........................................................ 116
4.1.4. Impact of the initiative on the surroundings, including the quality
of life, and sustainability of the solution ................................................................ 117
4.1.5. Constraints to the initiative’s implementation ................................................... 118
4.1.6. Ideas to support local leaders ..................................................................................... 119
4.2 Beneciaries ...................................................................................................................................... 120
4.2.1. Understanding the smart village concept ............................................................. 121
4.2.2. Impact of the initiative on residents’ lives and the economy ....................... 122
4.2.3. Engaging in the initiative implementation ............................................................ 123
4.2.4. How should local governments and central governments support
such initiatives? .................................................................................................................. 124
4.3. Local authorities ............................................................................................................................. 125
4.3.1. Understanding the smart village concept ............................................................. 126
4.3.2. Participation of the municipal government in the initiative
implementation ................................................................................................................. 127
4.3.3. Impact of the initiative on the surroundings, including quality
of life and the local budget ........................................................................................... 128
4.3.4. Stimulating local activity, support for leaders ..................................................... 129
.................................................................................................................. 133
5.1. Why is it worth creating smart solutions? – challenges for rural
development in the future ......................................................................................................... 136
5.2. Recommendations for the development of the smart village concept
in Poland ............................................................................................................................................. 138
5.2.1. Recommendations for rural policies ....................................................................... 139
5.2.2. Recommendations for society and local government ..................................... 141
5.2.3. Recommendations for science and research ...................................................... 145
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 147
List of tables ................................................................................................................................................... 156
List of diagrams ............................................................................................................................................ 157
List of photographs .................................................................................................................................... 158
Introduction
e transformation of rural areas and the broadly understood problems of their
development have been the subject of scientic analyses and lively public debate for
many years. e ongoing discussions stem from a reection on the increased eec-
tiveness of rural development policies and the search for new approaches to their
programming at the local level. ey are also the result of a growing feeling that it is
necessary to achieve sustainable development objectives more eectively and reduce
social and economic disparities between rural and urban areas. Among the emerging
challenges in the last decade, the transition to an information society has come to the
fore, however it should be stressed that the changes taking place are dependent on
global technological and digital development. e fact that rural areas are inhabited
by about one quarter of the European Union’s population makes us aware of the im-
portance of these changes in rural areas. In Poland, this proportion is much higher
and amounts to 40%. Being aware of this fact, it may be assumed that adaptation to
transformations cannot be treated as an opportunity, but as a necessity, as more and
more activities are carried out in the virtual world. e importance of digital and com-
munication technologies has been reinforced in recent months due to the COVID-19
pandemic, which has transferred some activities to the virtual sphere. Equipping rural
populations with digital and communications skills will make it possible to “reduce”
distance, thereby increasing accessibility to goods and services, especially public ones.
In this context, information and communication technologies (ICT) are treated as
an opportunity to overcome development-related diculties. However, their use
depends on access to the internet in a given area. Its lack or poor coverage in a par-
ticular area deprives it of the opportunities for development based on smart technolo-
gies or smart initiatives.
As regards the local dimension, it is not only digital technologies that are growing
in importance, but also activities aimed to improve broadly understood living con-
ditions of rural residents, also on a micro scale. In these transformations, people
and their skills are of unique value, and waiting passively for change does not make
much sense. In this context technology can only be a tool, as human competences are
becoming the major driver for the improvement of the standard of living and quality
of life. Well-identied local human resources form the basis for social innovation, and
consequently contribute to increased resilience of rural areas, allowing them to solve
problems faced by local communities. e transition to an information society under-
stood in this way has a signicantly broader context than digital and communication
technologies and comprises a range of social and agri-environmental issues.
e concept of rural development proposed by the European Union, called smart
villages (SV), is primarily addressed to villages that are “in decline” due to their re-
moteness and progressive depopulation. e rst and most oen replicated denition
8
of smart villages was laid down in a 2017 document on the European Union’s endea-
vours in respect of this idea. Smart villages are dened as those villages (local com-
munities, regions) which exploit digital technologies and innovations in their daily
life, thereby improving the standard of public services and making better use of local
resources. erefore, it may be concluded that the European Union proposes support
for developing peripheral areas based on digital technologies and smart innovations.
Joining the discussion on the assumptions of the concept, that are being worked out
now, we have wanted to consider whether these areas have conditions for develop-
ment based on smart solutions. We have accepted the assumption that smart villages
begin where reection takes place on how to use digital technologies to create a space
where local development leaders can more easily take account of the needs and pos-
sibilities of their residents. e adoption of such an approach allows us to think about
what elements are necessary in this process. In order to give an answer, we have iden-
tied some Polish examples as well as challenges and mechanisms of the development
of smart villages.
e identication of examples of smart villages, followed by an in-depth study of
the initiatives implemented is an important step towards understanding the overall
concept. e reason behind dealing with this topic was the conviction of its impor-
tance in both theoretical and applied contexts. erefore, we have decided to pursue
two objectives: cognitive and application-oriented, while looking for answers to the
following questions:
1. How is the concept of smart villages understood by dierent groups of village
residents (initiators, beneciaries and local authorities)?
2. What mechanisms impact the de-marginalisation of rural areas?
3. How should support for smart villages in the coming years be programmed?
4. What are the necessary resources to implement smart initiatives?
5. What is the impact of smart solutions on the surroundings?
6. What guarantees the sustainability of solutions?
7. Are the concepts of smart villages and smart city related in terms of meaning?
By identifying these problems as well as by describing the existing solutions, we
want to achieve the objective of applicability by pointing to the solutions that would
become a kind of benchmarking for other regions, counties [powiat in Polish], mu-
nicipalities or sołectwos (a term describing one or more villages or an auxiliary unit
of the municipality). We would like to emphasise that it is still necessary to look for
solutions that can be an example for other villages and to bear in mind local limita-
tions related to resources. e cognitive aim is to acquire knowledge of the smart
village concept.
e book’s structure is the consequence of the methodological assumptions and
objectives of the research project. It consists of a theoretical/methodological and
an empirical/descriptive part. Section 1 describes the concept of smart villages and
presents its journey from an idea to the development instrument. It presents evidence
9Introduction
showing that the idea has all the attributes of the scientic concept, underlining at
the same time its practical potential. e motives for implementing the concept are
characterised by pointing to ve drivers for the creation of smart solutions in rural
areas: responding to depopulation and demographic change, nding local solutions to
public funding cuts and the centralisation of public services, exploiting linkages with
small towns and cities, maximising the role of rural areas in the transition to a low-
carbon, circular economy, supporting digital transformation. In addition, the process
of marginalisation of rural areas called the “circle of rural decline” has been men-
tioned. It describes how the SV concept is implemented in European Union policy,
referring to the selected EU measures and documents. Section 1 also presents the
challenges that the concept faces in order to enhance quality of life by creating more
resilient social structures, using available resources and tools. Moreover, the Section
compares the smart village concept with that of the smart city and points to the simi-
larities and dierences between them.
Section 2 presents the concept behind the eld study. e organisation and metho-
dology of this study are explained in detail. In addition, the basis for the selection of
both the target group surveyed and municipalities participating in the study are dis-
cussed, justifying the deliberate selection of ten municipalities. Scenarios for indivi-
dual in-depth interviews broken down into three study groups are presented, followed
by the characteristics of the municipalities and the initiatives implemented in these
municipalities.
Section 3 shows the contextual nature of the initiatives and their intertwining. It
has been noted that the division into infrastructural-technological, social, and agri-
environmental solutions is conventional. In each case the reasons behind the imple-
mented initiatives have been presented. In addition, the way they were implemented
as well as their eects and sustainability have been discussed. e importance of
particular groups of resources during the implementation of the ideas has also been
pointed to. A signicant part of particular subsections is devoted to an attempt at
dening the infrastructural-technological, social and agri-environmental contexts for
the implementation of smart village initiatives.
Section 4 presents similarities and dierences in the understanding of the concept of
smart villages by dierent groups of respondents. is has been particularly important
from the perspective of the pursuance of the project objectives. e respondent groups
included initiators, beneciaries and local authorities. Moreover, the section describes
the reasons behind the initiatives undertaken in selected municipalities. Attention
has been drawn to the process of involving the local community and collaboration
between groups under study. e impact of the projects on their surroundings and the
constraints to their implementation has been shown. Also, the presentation of ideas
for supporting local leaders has a prominent place in the section.
e last section, which replaces the traditional summary, consists of two parts. e
rst part shows why it is worth creating smart solutions. e processes of depopula-
10
tion and population ageing cause villages to face new challenges. erefore, it is vital
in this context to create new smart solutions that meet the needs of the residents while
respecting the idea of sustainable development. e second part of the section oers
recommendations for developing the smart village concept in Poland made during
project implementation.
e book is the result of a research project implemented under the Operational
Plan for 2020-2021 of the Polish Rural Network’s NSU entitled “In-depth Study of
Smart Villages in Poland – Selected Examples”, under Priority 1. Fostering know-
ledge transfer and innovation in agriculture, forestry and rural areas. e motiva-
tion for the project was the My SMART Village competition organised in 2019 by the
Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences
(IRWiR PAN). e competition also inspired us to conduct further in-depth studies
of the selected initiatives.
e publication is addressed to persons from various backgrounds who are looking
for information on the smart village idea: representatives of local governments, local
government employees or local leaders who are the “driving force” capable of mobili-
sing their local community. e book may also be useful for rural residents because
it is up to them to decide what their life would be like there. e topics discussed in
the book are in line with the current discussion on smart villages. In the new EU
programming period, funding is envisaged for rural areas under the Smart Villages
Programme until 2027. We wanted to present various initiatives and smart solutions
and to disseminate the selected practices in this eld. e readers will nd in the book
suggestions and ideas that can be modied or improved, but above all adapted to their
own and their community’s needs. We hope that it will be an inspiration for those who
still have doubts whether it is worth undertaking such initiatives at all. Its advantage
is combining theoretical considerations with practical experience that we acquired
during the My SMART Village competition, and during in-depth studies conducted in
selected municipalities.
It is the conviction of the authors that the book does not exhaust smart village
issues. e book is an invitation to further deepen the topic and to look for solu-
tions which may contribute to enhancing the quality of life in rural areas. In addition,
on the one hand, it is a form of benchmarking showing examples of existing solu-
tions, and on the other hand – a form of encouragement to look for someone’s own
recipes aimed at creating smart/creative areas. e publication attempts to analyse the
concept of smart villages at various levels and show its importance in today’s digital
world. Its aim is to show that the solutions do not need to have the nature of cost-
intensive investment projects, but also – or may be rst and foremost – of micro
projects improving the situation of rural inhabitants.
e book “Concept of Smart Villages. Examples from Poland” is a supplement to the
research already carried out in Poland by, among others, Oskar Wolski (2018), Marcin
Wójcik (2018), Magdalena Zwolińska-Ligaj, Danuta Guzal-Dec and Mieczysław Ada-
11Introduction
mowicz (2018), Ryszard Kamiński and Leszek Leśniak (2019), Andrzej Hałasiewicz
(2020), Łukasz Komorowski and Monika Stanny (2020), Mieczysław Adamowicz
(2021), and in the European Union by Veronika Zavratnik et al. (2018), Simona Sto-
janova at al. (2021) or Evgenia Anastasiou et al. (2021).
We would like to thank everyone who showed us kindness during the collection of
information and during the interviews, in particular the participants in the study who
devoted their time, the initiators of individual smart solutions for their support and
assistance with the in-depth studies. We would also like to thank Professor Tomasz
Wojewodzic from the Agricultural University in Kraków for reviewing the mono-
graph and for his valuable comments.
Smart villages
– FROM AN IDEA TO A RURAL
DEVELOPMENT INSTRUMENT
1.
1. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural
development instrument
1.1 Idea of smart villages – theoretical overview
Although it has all the attributes of a scientic concept, the smart village idea is very
oen described without any reference to theory, research, or scientic publications.
It is based on practical solutions which causes numerous scientists to regard it as
lacking a solid theoretical basis. Among others, Bill Slee (2019) has challenged the
theoretical aspect of the idea, writing that the evolution of support for local community
development and generally of what is referred to as smart villages has taken place
almost without reference to theory. However, recently there has been an increased
interest among researchers in the concept, which translates into a growing catalogue
of publications containing both theoretical and inductive considerations, in which
‘smart villages’ have become one of the key words. It remains to be seen whether
this is a scientic issue or perhaps one of the practical ways of improving the socio-
economic situation of rural inhabitants. Or maybe they are not mutually exclusive?
Accepting Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz’s denition (1985) that science is an area of
knowledge which is a collection of information based on previous research, and
a research process leading to obtaining rational knowledge (based on a system of
statements and hypotheses concerning a human being, society or economic pheno-
mena), it can be assumed that the research to date on the smart village concept fulls
these prerequisites. If we add that such research results from the need to satisfy the cu-
riosity about the world, to make progress of civilisation, to solve a scientic problem
or to explore certain phenomena occurring in society, it may be assumed that both
the scientic and inductive basis for the concept is provided. e scientic character
of smart villages is also demonstrated by the fact that the term accumulates all func-
tions of knowledge: descriptive-theoretical (a descriptive function), explanation (un-
derstanding the cause and eect relationship), foresight (prediction and forecasting)
and pragmatism (a practical function). A diagnostic function using heuristic research
could also be added to these elements of scientic cognition.
e smart village concept is still in the early stages of development. Its theoretical
foundations are being systematically developed. Paraphrasing Karl R. Popper (1992),
it can be considered that this is the stage when the tension between knowledge and
ignorance arises. is is conrmed by the search for a denition of smart villages
which would correspond to the specic features of rural areas and its actual eld of
interest. Studies on the concept are carried out at dierent territorial levels compri-
sing whole continents (van Gevelt et al., 2018; Doloi et al., 2019), individual coun-
tries (Fennell et al., 2018; Komorowski, Stanny, 2020) or smaller administrative units
(Vaishar, Šťastná, 2019; Adamowicz, Zwolińska-Ligaj, 2020). e topics dealt with in
16
them are very diverse. Papers from Asia, Africa and the Americas mostly focus on
energy systems, climate and sustainable agriculture (Adesipo et al., 2020; Majumdar,
2020), while European studies explore the topic mainly in the context of revitalising
local communities through improved public services and the use of new technologies
(ENRD, 2018a; Visvizi et al., 2019).
Scientic papers to date show a relatively large “practical” potential of the smart
village concept in many dimensions, e.g. in mitigating the negative eects of rural de-
population (Paniagua, 2020), as a driver for sustainable rural development (Guzal-Dec,
2018; Adamowicz, 2021) or as an instrument for mobilising local communities (Nieto,
Brosei, 2019; Anastasiou et al., 2021). Terry van Gevelt and John Holmes (2015) expect
very broad social and economic eects from the concept. ey treat smart villages
as a strategy that can improve the quality of life and give younger generations good
reasons to stay in villages rather than migrate and seek their place in the city.
e notion of smart villages has been used for a short time, however changes in
its scope can be observed. Initially it was used to refer to aid programmes in Africa
and Asia. e vision of smart villages was rst presented in 2015 by van Gevelt and
Holmes (2015). It referred to these two continents. It placed emphasis mainly on the
issues of residents’ access to modern energy sources, food security, primary educa-
tion and health care. An important moment for the development of the smart village
concept in the European Union was the 2016 declaration “A Better Life in Rural Areas”
(EU, 2016) (commonly known as the Cork 2.0 Declaration). e document was the
result of the meeting of several hundred participants in the European Conference on
Rural Development in Cork, Ireland, during which the directions for rural develop-
ment and agricultural policy were hammered out. One of the points of the declaration
emphasised that particular attention should be paid to overcoming the digital divide
and developing the opportunities oered by better quality networks and digitalisation
in rural areas.
In 2017 the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) proposed an
“EU Action for Smart Villages” (ENRD, 2017). e document deals with the process
of debate on the villages of the future and the need to bring dierent programmes
together to build a strategic approach to promoting smart villages, including support
for knowledge, investments and connectivity. e paper lays down the initial deni-
tion of the concept of smart villages: “Villages (local communities, regions) that
use digital technologies and innovations in their daily life, thereby enhancing its
quality, improving the standard of public services and making better use of local
resources”.
e denition of smart villages, which seems to have gained acceptance among
researchers and practitioners dealing with this issue, accurately reects its essence
and is conrmed in practice. However, are all the elements taken together in the
commonly accepted denition (digital technologies and innovations, quality of life,
public services, local resources) indispensable for the existence of smart initiatives?
171. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
Based on our experience related to the My SMART Village competition and in-depth
studies in ten municipalities, it seems that the essence in this approach are not all the
elements taken together, but their appropriate conguration adapted to the conditions
of a particular village. e studies carried out show (more on this in the following
sections) that it is acceptable not to have one of the elements – most oen digital
technologies (as a rule they do not play a leading role, but a supporting one, they
are a tool in a given initiative). Technologies are so common in our lives that their
presence is oen almost obvious. is was the case with many initiatives that in their
essential part were of a social nature and did not use digital innovations directly but
were more focused on the involvement of local resources, the renewal of rural services
or the improvement of living conditions.
e development of the smart village concept is seen as an opportunity for an
easier and more comfortable life of rural residents. At the same time, the need to
respond to the problems of population ageing and decline in public services is empha-
sised. A crucial aspect of the concept is territorial sensitivity, which enables adap-
tation of the projects implemented under it to local conditions. e indispensable
elements of the concept are: smart initiatives, smart community, smart services, smart
institutions, smart infrastructure (Figure 1.1). Smart initiatives should be understood
as any local activities aimed at satisfying the specic needs of local residents, carried
out or initiated by these residents, supported by new technologies to the greatest
extent possible (and if justied).
Smart
community
Smart
initiatives
Smart
services
Smart
infrastructure
Smart
institutions
Figure 1.1. Diagram of key elements of smart villages
Source: Komorowski, Stanny (2020).
18
Smart communities, in turn, are the residents of a given territorial unit (e.g.
a municipality, sołectwo, hamlet), who engage in local aairs, are capable of expressing
their needs and then co-decide and join in the activities to full these needs. For
the smart village concept, the local leader (e.g. head of the municipality, head of the
village, activist) is of great importance: s/he is able to listen to the residents and take
their voice into account. As regards smart services, it should be borne in mind that
they are not only public and social services that are based on technological novelties,
but also those necessary for a specic area (i.e. tailored to the needs). e local
government is responsible for providing most of such services but it is desirable that
it cooperates with other local government units, the non-governmental sector and
businesses. As far as smart institutions are concerned, it should be remembered that
these are public institutions, e.g. a municipality oce, school or cultural centre, which
use modern solutions, at the same time making such tools available to the residents.
Equally important within the concept of smart villages is smart infrastructure as the
necessary material foundation for any human activity (Komorowski, Stanny, 2019).
In case of rural areas, it is primarily transport infrastructure enabling the mobility
of residents, municipal infrastructure signicantly inuencing the living conditions
of the rural population, and the ICT infrastructure allowing residents to deal with
matters faster, to make use of public services conveniently and to communicate with
other members of the local community.
Based on the analysis of the actions taken in rural areas, it may be noted that
they most oen relate to three main solutions: in the eld of public services, public
governance and entrepreneurship (Table 1.1.).
Table 1.1. Some examples of thematic areas of smart actions
Field of solutions Public services Public governance Entrepreneurship
Areas of intervention
energy e-administration precision farming
safety waste management online commerce
remote education spatial planning rural tourism
public transport environmental quality
monitoring
co-sharing of
equipment
e-care
e-health
online meetings and
consultations
with residents
rural incubators
Source: own work.
Should smart actions be carried out in all thematic areas at once? is might be
dicult and may discourage taking any steps. At the beginning, it is best to choose
191. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
one or several minor solutions which, taking into account the area’s advantages, will
increase the chances of success. It is vital to identify both the residents’ needs and
available resources. In the opinion of the participants in the study, i.e. one of the
initiators in Ryczywół: “courage and a vision to improve the situation in the small
homeland is also important”.
1.2. Reasons behind implementing the concept of smart villages
Currently rural areas are undergoing rapid change (Zawalińska, 2012; Halamska,
Stanny, 2021; Stanny et al., 2021). e idea of smart villages is a response to the
current problems of rural development stemming from ongoing demographic change,
including mainly population ageing and an outow of young people from rural areas,
low population density, fewer and fewer jobs, an insucient and decreasing range of
services provided in these areas or a lack of funds for investment. In this context, the
threat of the so-called “circle of rural decline” is mentioned (Figure 1.2), where each of
the elements indicated may be both a driver for and an eect of unfavourable changes
taking place in rural areas.
Figure 1.2. Diagram of the “circle of rural decline”
Source: own work based on ENRD (2018a).
Rural areas must address these problems comprehensively (this is a challenge not
even for the coming years, but actually for the next months and weeks), given that
they are oen combined with the need to use modern digital technologies (some
people without sucient digital and technological competences may be permanently
deprived of the possibility to satisfy their needs and furthermore – some of them may
be permanently socially excluded). erefore, the identication of the reasons behind
Decision to move
to another place
Fall in population
density
High unit costs
of investments
Few jobs outside
public sector
Lower rate of
business creation
20
the implementation of the smart village concept is a starting point for the creation of
such solutions that would, on one the hand, enhance the quality of life in rural areas
but, on the other, prevent deprivation of needs of a large part of society. e ENRD
ematic Group on Smart Villages points to ve drivers of smart solutions in rural
areas:
1. responding to depopulation and demographic change;
2. nding local solutions to public funding cuts and the centralisation of public
services;
3. exploiting linkages with small towns and cities;
4. maximising the role of rural areas in the transition to a low-carbon, circular
economy;
5. promoting the digital transformation of rural areas (ENRD, 2018a).
e demographic change currently taking place is one of the key reasons behind
the necessity to introduce smart solutions in rural areas and setting the rural deve-
lopment trend all across Europe. Demographic change is universal, i.e. observable
in each territorial unit, but its impact and intensity depends on the geographical
location (ESPON, 2017). On the one hand, the ongoing demographic change (low
fertility, high mortality, migration of people to cities, outow of better educated youth
to cities) carries a huge risk, because the decline in the population that generates the
GDP and a simultaneous increase in the number of the so-called benet recipients is
an economic and social challenge for those in power. Due to the change in the size
and structure of population in the modern world, national economies face the chal-
lenge of the rational inclusion of this phenomenon in demographic and economic
policy (Mączyńska, 2010; Kotowska, Jóźwiak, 2012). However, demographic change
may have a positive impact on measures aimed at reorganisation in rural areas.
Depending on migration trends, two types of areas can be distinguished: 1) those
with a declining population, where within the last several years the recorded popu-
lation outow has been bigger than its inow; 2) those with a growing population,
where – contrary to the rst point – the observed inow has been bigger than the
outow. In each European Union member state there are population inow (con-
centration) zones, usually located around urban centres of dierent rank. e model
example of such population distribution is France (ESPON, 2017). Rural areas with
predominant population outow are located, in particular, in the countries of eastern
and central as well as southern Europe, in the Nordic countries and the Iberian Pe-
ninsula and they cover peripheral areas (far away from agglomerations) in regional
systems.
In Poland the areas with declining population and those with a predominant
outow of inhabitants make up approximately half of all rural and urban-rural mu-
nicipalities. However, the spatial distribution is not uniform – the population con-
centration zones are generally limited to the suburban areas of provincial (voivod-
ship) capitals, subregional cities and some towns of local importance (Czarnecki,
211. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
2019). Apart from that, in provinces such as Wielkopolskie, Pomorskie, Małopolskie,
an increase in the number of residents is recorded in the majority of the munici-
palities. In many provinces (outside the metropolitan areas), a steady outow of rural
residents is observed – this process is most intense in eastern and central provinces
(Mazowieckie, Lubelskie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie), as well as in almost the entire
Opolskie province and in the central part of Zachodniopomorskie (Figure 1.3).
Figure 1.3. Change in the number of residents in rural and urban-rural municipalities in Poland
in 2005-2019
Source: own work based on BDL GUS (Local Data Bank, Statistics Poland) data.
22
e changes in the number of residents coincide with the changes in the age struc-
ture of the population. As young people migrate more oen than other groups and
women more oen than men (Rosner, 2016), the depopulating areas are characterised
most oen by an unfavourable demographic structure with an overrepresentation of
population at post-working age. In turn, areas of population concentration are demo-
graphically the youngest (Stanny, Strzelecki, 2020).
A demographic process that has been taking place (in dierent phases) for many
years in all European countries is population ageing (Eurostat, 2019). According to
the Eurostat data, in the coming years the percentage of elderly people in European
Union countries will increase and the share of people aged over 65 in the total population
will be more than 28% by 2050 (in 2008 it was 17%). Currently, the demographically
oldest communities live in the countries of western and northern Europe. Against
this background, Poland may still be considered a relatively young country, although
Figure 1.4. Percentage of people at post-working age (over 60 for women and 65 for men) in
municipalities in Poland in 2019
Source: own work based on BDL GUS data.
231. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
intraregional variations may also be identied in this respect. Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie
and Łódzkie, among others, have the largest percentage of elderly people. is is the
case, in particular, around the administrative borders of these provinces (Figure 1.4).
Villages located close to cities as well as most municipalities in Pomorskie, Wielko-
polskie, Małopolskie and Podkarpackie can be considered the youngest. Every h
rural resident is a person at post-working age (over 60 for women and 65 for men),
and the process of rural population aging will be deepening in the coming years
most rapidly in the areas that currently have the most favourable age structure of the
population (Frenkel et al., 2019).
According to the demographic forecast for 2014-2050, Poland’s population will
decline steadily (from 38.4 million in 2013 to 33.9 million in 2050), and the number
of people aged 65 and more in Poland may increase from 5.67 million to 11.09 million
(from 14.7% to 32.7% of the total population (GUS, 2014).
Rural depopulation, the ight of young people to cities or more gentried areas
and, as a result, rural population ageing, are considered to be a symptom of rural de-
gradation. ese are the key reasons for the need to introduce solutions that would
increase the resilience of rural communities. Creating smart solutions can increase
the vitality of these areas. It is also very important to nd local solutions that – espe-
cially when public spending is cut – will address the problems that make life in rural
areas dicult (cf. Śpiewak, 2009). is mainly pertains to such services as health care,
education, commerce or public transport, which are limited in rural areas if public
services are centralised. is makes it clear that the strategic goal of the authorities
should be to build and make use of existing relationships and to shape the linkages
between villages and small towns and cities. An important point indicated by ENRD
(2018) is also to increase the role of rural areas in the transition to a low-carbon,
circular economy. is economy is a system designed in such a way so as to regenerate
itself. Climate change is taking place, whereas natural resources are limited and it is
very oen these resources that form the basis of the competitive advantage and have
impact on the attractiveness of rural areas.
e last of the mentioned reasons for creating smart areas is support for the digital
transformation in rural areas. It should be stressed that rural areas have been going
through the process of global technological development in recent years. e adapta-
tion to these transformations is a necessity as more and more activities are carried
out in the virtual world. e observed changes that have occurred in people’s daily
lives since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic have made this
challenge tougher. By denition, information and communication technologies make
it possible to reduce distance (in the geographical sense), thereby increasing access
to public goods and services. In this context, they are treated as an opportunity to
overcome development-related diculties. eir usefulness is, however, dependent
on access to the internet. Its lack or poor accessibility deprives a given area of oppor-
tunities for smart development.
24
Since the beginning of the 21st century, dynamic processes such as, rst, compu-
terisation and the development of mobile telephony, and then the development of
the internet and dependent services, have been taking place in Polish rural areas. All
elements connected with these processes are oen called smart development or intel-
ligent development (Janc et al., 2019). In the era of information society development,
depriving one of access to the network is almost equivalent to depriving of opportuni-
ties for creative development.
In 2019, 85% of rural households in Poland had access to the internet, mostly
through broadband. In cities this rate was higher by 3 percentage points, while in 2005
access to the internet in cities was twice that in villages (36% versus 19%) (GUS, 2019)
(Figure 1.5.). erefore, the conclusion that ICT facilities have become more evenly
distributed in rural and urban areas is justied. However, the internet infrastructure
is not evenly developed across Poland, and the existing inter- and intra-regional dif-
ferences co-exist in line with varying levels of socio-economic development of rural
areas. e higher the underlying development capital of a given territorial unit, the
better access to the internet in its area. Likewise, this access becomes worse in local
units at a relatively lower development level (Komorowski, Stanny, 2020). COVID-19
has shown the importance of internet access and the quality of digital and commu-
nication infrastructure in the country. Insucient quality of internet connections is
becoming the main factor of social exclusion – not only does it make it dicult to
satisfy educational or cultural needs, but it also deprives people of the possibility to
0
20
40
60
80
100
0,0
0,5
1,0
1,5
2,0
2,5
3,0
1995 2005 2015 2019
land-line (left axis) internet (right axis)
mln%
Figure 1.5. The number of land-line subscribers (left axis) and the percentage of rural
households with access to the internet (right axis) in 1995-2018 (in rural areas in Poland)
Source: own work based on BDL GUS data and GUS, 2017, GUS, 2020a.
251. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
work (Kalinowski, Wyduba, 2020). What can be done to increase the share of house-
holds with access to broadband connection? e USA and China are already planning
to build networks of several thousand satellites to enable access to the internet from
any place on Earth (Voelsen, 2021).
Rural areas still require signicant investments in ICT infrastructure as demonstrated,
inter alia, by the amount of funds allocated for digitalisation of rural areas under the
Operational Programme Digital Poland 2014-2020. By February 2020, agreements were
signed for the implementation of tasks worth approximately PLN 13 billion1 (Figure 1.6).
e investments made are aimed not only at connecting a given area to the internet, but
also (or especially) at ensuring access to good quality, stable and relatively fast internet.
At the end of 2019 land-line internet with a capacity of at least 30 Mbps was provided to
30% of buildings in rural municipalities, to 43% in urban-rural municipalities, and to
62% in urban municipalities (Oce of Electronic Communications (UKE), 2019). e
Oce of Electronic Communications predicts that when the disbursement of funds
1 In 2021, PLN 1. – was on average worth EUR 0.22.
Figure 1.6. The number of applications for co-funding projects related to common access to
fast internet under the Operational Programme Digital Poland 2014-2020 in provinces (as of
30 June 2020)
Source: own work based on BDL GUS data.
26
from the Operational Programme Digital Poland 2014-2020 is over, the value of the
aforementioned indicator will double for rural municipalities (ibid.).
Access to good quality internet is a problem that rural communities oen try to solve
by contacting local authorities. Data from the project “Rural Development Monito-
ring” (Stanny, Rosner, Komorowski, 2018) shows that the topic of access to the internet
is raised at two out of three village meetings and briengs with heads of villages. It is
raised more oen in the areas where access to the internet is worse compared to other
villages. COVID-19 has made people aware of the problem of digital exclusion, espe-
cially as a signicant part of activity has moved online. In this situation, people living
in areas with poorer access to the internet have been exposed to marginalisation and,
as a result, have been deprived of the opportunities of satisfying some of their needs.
However, having ICT infrastructure is not everything. It is extremely important to
take action to improve the digital skills and competences of the population. In Poland,
in 2020, 81% of people aged 16-74 used the internet regularly, but the older the age
group, the lower the percentage (99% of 16-24-year-olds and 40% of 65-74-year-olds
used the internet) (GUS, 2020). A similar conclusion has been reached in the “Social
Diagnosis 2015” – rural residents use the internet less frequently than urban dwellers
and at the same time they stop using it aer reaching retirement age more oen than
other socio-professional groups (Batorski, 2015).
It should be highlighted that among people who do not use the internet on a daily
basis about two thirds do not nd it necessary to use this medium, a little more than half
of them claim that they lack the skills and about 15% feel a general dislike for this tool.
Technical barriers (i.e. too high costs of access or equipment) were mentioned by every
h respondent (Figure 1.7). us it is not the technical barrier, but the competence or
awareness barrier that is the current challenge to smart development (GUS, 2019).
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Dislike for the internet
Too high costs of access
Too high costs of equipment
Lack of skills
No need to use
Figure 1.7. Causes (%) given for the household’s lack of access to the internet in 2019 (rural and
urban areas taken together)
Source: own work based on GUS 2019.
271. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
In the light of the above information, digital transformation appears to be neces-
sary if we think about reducing the problems of rural areas. According to van Gevelt
and Holmes (2015), technological progress eectively integrated into rural develop-
ment initiatives can create new opportunities to increase income and provide services
that enhance the quality of life in rural areas. e introduction of facilities in these
areas is of particular signicance for attracting and retaining the so-called creative
class, which contributes to the development of rural communities (McGranahan
et al., 2011). While analysing the reasons behind implementing the smart village
concept, the specic characteristics of a particular rural area and its spatial location
should be borne in mind. Rural areas vary in terms of distance from, as well as de-
pendence on external markets or natural resources (OECD 2018). erefore, it is
necessary to individually look for opportunities for undertaking such initiatives
that, by using local resources, make a given area attractive to both residents and
potential investors.
1.3. Implementation of the concept in European Union policy
e growing importance of the smart village concept in the EU caused the
European Commission to launch the “EU Action for Smart Villages”2. Although the
concept is commonly perceived as part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
responsibilities, it covers not only the activities of the Commissioner for Agriculture
and Rural Development, but also those of the Commissioners for Regional Policy as
well as Mobility and Transport. e increasing popularity of smart villages may also be
demonstrated by the fact that – in addition to EU institutions – national governments,
local governments and various stakeholders in rural areas became interested in the
concept. Support was also expressed by the European Parliament, the Committee
of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee (ENRD, 2018).
2 e chronology of the development of the smart village concept was presented by Ana
Martinez Juan and James McEldowney (2021) who pointed to the following path:
– 2014 – EU rural development programmes (2014-2020).
– 2016 – Cork 2.0 Declaration; ESPON Cooperation Programme 2020.
– 2017 – UE Action for Smart Villages; ENRD: thematic working group/portal on smart villages;
Venhorst Declaration; Communication on the future of food and farming.
– 2018n – Bled Declaration; Añora Declaration; legislative proposals on the CAP (COM(2018) 392).
– 2019 – Final report: smart eco-social villages; Declaration on cooperation for a smart and
sustainable digital future for European agriculture and rural areas; Launch of the “Smart Rural 21”
project (DG AGRI).
– 2020 – European Green Deal: Farm-to-Fork Strategy / Biodiversity Strategy; Roadmap: Long-
term Vision for Rural Areas; Recommendations from the European Commission to the Member
States on their strategic plans for the CAP.
28
e importance of the concept was underlined in the “Bled Declaration” of April
2018. e Declaration conrms that the rural digital economy, if developed in an
innovative, integrated and inclusive way, has the potential to enhance the quality of
life of rural citizens and, thereby, contribute to tackling the current depopulation of,
and migration from, rural areas (European Commission, 2018).
e European Rural Parliament’s “Candás Declaration” (e European Rural Par-
liament Manifesto 2019) highlights the need to support smart initiatives within EU
policies (European Rural Parliament, 2019a, 2019b). e development in this direc-
tion is also recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and De-
velopment in its principles on rural policy (OECD, 2019). e importance of digital
technologies is also pointed out by Franc Bogovic and Tibor Szanyi (ENRD, 2018),
who see an opportunity to ensure an easier and better life for rural residents in the
development and practical application of this concept, adding that it is a necessary
response to the challenges posed by population ageing and the disappearance of
services.
It should be emphasised that an important document inuencing the smart
development of rural areas is the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020.
It refers to rural development that takes into account contemporary environmental,
economic and social challenges (Zavratnik et al., 2018). e LEADER/CLLD approach
has been adopted within the framework of European policies: it denes the way to
mobilise and deliver rural development by making use of local ideas and looking for
new ways to achieve competitiveness. It aims at nding and testing solutions exploi-
ting local resources and mobilising local communities. e key characteristics of
the LEADER approach are as follows: local development strategies for the territory,
bottom-up strategy formulation and implementation, local public-private partnerships
(LAGs), integrated and multi-sectoral actions, innovation, cooperation, networking.
Programmes designed in the framework of rural development policies address at
least four EU priorities for rural areas, aimed at supporting, strengthening and pro-
moting innovative and knowledge-based methods of social farming, forestry, food
production, agricultural ecosystems and the ecient management of resources or
rural development (Nurzyńska, Drygas, 2018).
e importance of the smart village concept is conrmed by the fact that a dozen
or so meetings of the ematic Group on Smart Villages of the European Network for
Rural Development were held between 2017 and 2020. At the same time, the groups
set up by ministries for rural development in particular member states are working
on programming support for smart villages. Research and development projects as
well as pilot projects are being implemented, e.g. the pan-European “Smart Rural 21”,
“SIMRA”, “In-depth study of smart villages in Poland”.
In 2019, an international workshop entitled “Smart Villages as an Eective Way to
Address Key Challenges in Rural Areas” was held in Poland. It was organised by the
Polish Rural Network (KSOW) and the Polish Rural Forum (FAOW). e workshop
291. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
Table 1.2. Recommendations for implementing smart solutions in rural areas in Poland
Source: own work based on the workshop “Smart Villages as an Effective Way to Address Key
Challenges in Rural Areas”.
Build on experience
Start from one village, but build partnership
It is necessary to rely on the existing forms of cooperation, often very fruitful for many years, for example
related to village renewal or the LEADER approach. The establishment of new structures and the
bureaucratisation of this concept should be avoided. This also applies to any other cooperation, e.g. non-
governmental organisations, producer groups, tourist industry, centres for social economy support.
Smart village projects must respond to the needs of local communities, even if they are small. However, if a
particular problem or need is not limited to a single village, it is a good idea to look for a joint solution (e.g.
in cooperation with several village associations or in consultation with the municipality/county).
Take into account of rural areas lagging behind digitally
Although the term smart villages, as opposed to smart city, does not mean relying on modern technologies
only, good access to (fast and stable) internet for rural residents is crucial for local development. People’s
competences in this eld are also important.
Appreciate people’s actions
A smart village approach should not be planned without the participation of local government leaders,
NGOs and other stakeholders. Existing resources, e.g. active village leaders and other local leaders, should
be used.
Reward activity
In order to promote the concept of smart villages, it is worthwhile to show rural communities the potential
benets of its implementation, e.g. by using the already identied examples of smart solutions. Moreover,
the most active rural communities should be appreciated (e.g. by promoting the solutions applied by them).
Smart villages may help small farm holdings
The smart village concept may be developed in particular in agriculture, which is increasingly using new
advanced technologies. This, combined with stimulating cooperation between farmers, oers an opportunity
for the development of this sector of the economy, even in those areas where agriculture is fragmented and
seemingly in decline.
Include the advisory sector in supporting smart actions
New technologies should be used to develop advisory services, which should ultimately become innovation
brokers.
30
was held in connection with the My SMART Village competition organised by
the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of
Sciences. During the workshop, representatives of nine European countries, the
European Commission, the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD),
the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) and the Smart
Village Network adopted seven strategic recommendations (Table 1.2.). ese
recommendations can be an important voice in the development of smart villages.
ey form the basis for increasing mobility, developing rural business, taking
advantage of opportunities in the bioeconomy and the circular economy, improving
the quality of education and health services, or preventing social exclusion.
It is not known yet how exactly the smart village instrument will be planned in
the coming years because at the time of writing this book work is still ongoing on
the Strategic CAP Plan which would be the main source of this concept. However,
the plan is to be based on some universal and general principles behind the reasons
for the development of the concept to date as well as the obligations of the member
states to the European Union (Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MARD), 2020):
• theinterventionwillbetargetedattheenvironmentandanelementofdigi-
talisation will be required,
• innovationswillbethebasisforthecreationofsmartvillages,buttheirnature
is to depend on the specic features the area,
• supportwillbeprovidedonamicroscale(evenatthesołectwolevel),
• implementationwilltakeplaceonthebasisoftheconcept(strategy,plan)for
a village (or another territorial unit), whereas the funding of the concept will
be possible from various sources (also other than CAP),
• asignicant role in implementing smart villages will have Local Action
Groups (LAGs) which, through the updated local development strategies
(LDS), will be able to determine the scope and nature of support.
e idea of the smart village instrument in Poland is that it will be divided into
two phases (MARD, 2021). It means that during the rst phase local communities
will dene how they want to implement the smart village principles (by developing
concepts covering one village, a group of villages or another territorial unit). is
type of approach may not only enable them to apply for funds for the implementa-
tion of the initiatives planned under the concept, but also (and perhaps most im-
portantly) it will bring together the residents that are covered by the plan to jointly
dene a vision of development, to diagnose their social, economic and environmen-
tal situation. It will also enable the mobilisation of local resources to implement the
concept (Figure 1.8).
311. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
Figure 1.8. Components of the concept (strategy) of smart villages
Source: own work.
e notion of smart villages appears in an increasing number of EU and national
documents, which implies that it will be an important instrument of the future EU
nancial perspective 2023-2027. e fact that two paths of smart initiatives are be-
ginning to appear in Europe requires comment. One of the paths is described in the
framework of case studies in this publication and can be regarded as “unocial”.
Based on it, the guidelines for the “ocial” path are being designed, the mainstream
of which will be reected (to a greater or lesser extent) in the CAP Strategic Plans of
particular EU member states (European Commission, 2021). Dierent “places” with
dierent socio-economic and geographical characteristics will be the beneciaries of
smart solutions. An opportunity is being created for a new dimension of place-based
policy, i.e. “a long-term strategy aimed at tackling persistent under-utilisation of po-
tential and reducing persistent social exclusion in specic places through external in-
terventions and multi-level governance; promoting the supply of integrated goods and
services tailored to contexts; and triggering institutional changes” (Bachtler, 2010).
1.4. Challenges of enhancing the quality of life faced by smart villages
e implementation of the smart village concept is of great signicance for
enhancing the quality of life in rural areas. Although, due to its interdisciplinary
nature, the very notion of quality of life is dicult to dene, an intuitive understanding
thereof has been noticeable in the studies on the socio-economic situation of the rural
Concept
(strategy)
of smart villages
Diagnosis and
identification
of problems
Definition of
the target group
Territorial coverage
of the concept
Vision of smart
villages
Simplified SWOT
analysis
Specification
of resources
for concept
implementation
Initiatives planned
to be implemented
and their effects
32
population for a long time (cf. Murawska, 2012; Gotowska, Jakubczak, 2012; Kud,
Woźniak 2013; Kalinowski 2015; Woźniak, 2015; Michalska-Żyła, 2016; Dej, Zajda,
2016; Kałuża et al., 2017; Chmielewska, Zegar, 2018, Leszczyński, 2020; Kalinowski,
Rosa, 2021). Despite the existence of numerous denitions, one commonly used has
not been developed yet. When considering the quality of life, approaches from the
purely subjective to the quasi-objective intertwine. In some studies, these dimensions
interpenetrate one another, e.g. Sheila M. Peace’s (1990) denition refers to the degree
of satisfaction of material and non-material needs of individuals and social groups,
specied by both objective and subjective indicators. Helena Sęk (1993), in turn, has
assumed that the quality of life in the objective dimension is “the conditions of human
life, objective attributes of the natural world, objects and culture, and objectively
assessed human attributes related to the standard of living and social position”, while
in the subjective dimension it is “the internal processes of valuing various spheres of
life and life as a whole”. However, the studies distinguish much more oen between
two categories – a subjective quality of life and objective standard of living. A search
of the literature shows that the standard of living is dened by reecting the reality
and the current situation of individuals, while the quality of life is a concept pointing
out to satisfaction with reality.
A subjective approach to the quality of life makes it possible to dene it as a set
of feelings of an individual depending on economic variables (income, possession of
goods, prices, forms and quality of supply), intervention variables (habits, attitudes,
expectations, social patterns, opinions), demographic characteristics, education and
time (Hodoly, 1973). Although each of these aspects has both subjective and objective
dimensions, their assessment is primarily based on the system of values and feelings
resulting from the degree of fullling needs and aspirations. It can be assumed that
the quality of life is a state of satisfaction, happiness, contentment with the overall
existence (enjoyment of the natural environment, good health, prosperity in life, social
position, well-being and consumption), which implies a subjective understanding. By
combining the above aspects, Jan Rutkowski (1987, 1988) dened quality of life as
a set of needs, the satisfaction of which makes people happy.
According to Czesław Bywalec and Leszek Rudnicki’s (1999) denition, which is
as broad as that provided by Andrzej Hodoly, quality of life is described as “a state
of satisfaction, happiness, contentment with the overall existence, i.e. enjoyment of
the natural environment, good health, prosperity in life, social position, well-being
and consumption”. Quality of life thus understood can be identied with the concept
of sustainable development (cf. Kłodziński, 1997; Borys, 2002; Borys, 2008; Guth,
Smędzik-Ambmroży, 2017; Kalinowski, 2018; Wieliczko et al., 2021), which is a result
of a comprehensive combination of dierent elements of the satisfaction of people’s
needs. Barbara Chmielewska and Józef Stanisław Zegar (2018) also mention the degree
of satisfying material and immaterial (also referred to as spiritual) needs and meeting
standards or realising biological, psychological, spiritual, social, political, cultural,
331. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
economic and ecological values of individuals, families and communities. Krzysztof
Kud and Marian Woźniak (2013) specify in detail the most important factors such as
the housing situation, employment security, health and life protection, opportunities
for learning and upskilling, access to culture or commercial establishments, the state
of technical infrastructure, the degree of individual need satisfaction. erefore, it
can be assumed that the determinants of the quality of life are the elements of socio-
material life complemented by the experiences and aspirations of the individual.
It should be underlined that the implementation of the smart village concept does
not require simultaneous measures in all the areas indicated. At the same time, it is
worth asking a question whether every enhancement of the quality of life is synony-
mous with creating conditions for smart areas. Following Boyd Cohen (2011), who
included the quality of life into one of the six dimensions that make up the smart city
concept (cf. Sikora-Fernandez 2013; Zysińska et al. 2014), it can be concluded that this
component is also extremely important in rural areas. It can be assumed that the aim
of smart solutions is to create optimum living conditions for rural residents, ensuring
them access to public services in the eld of healthcare, safety, cultural life, sports and
recreation. e improvement of the quality of the services provided is particularly im-
portant because of their lower availability in rural areas as compared to cities. ere-
fore, studies on smart villages promote social solutions which improve the possibility
of making use of these services. It is debatable whether these solutions should have
a digital dimension and whether they should exploit modern technologies, including
information and communication technologies.
Deliberations on smart villages’ challenges of enhancing the quality of life and
the relationship between these categories require answers to several questions. First,
should the concept of smart villages be viewed from the perspective of individuals or
society as a whole? Does a village become smart when all its residents, or only some
of them benet from the results of its development, or maybe is it enough if it is just
one person? It seems that being a smart village requires that a signicant part of the
local community should enjoy the benets of development. erefore, the condition
for being smart is to create such linkages and micro-structures which, through joint
actions, will strive to create new values in the local dimension. ese new values also
include increased local activity, cultural and social ties as well as networking links.
When making use of Erik Allardt’s (1993) concept of need satisfaction, another
question must be answered. Which of the three dimensions of need satisfaction (the
need to have, the need to love, the need to be) and to what extent constitutes being
smart? If need satisfaction is necessary to enhance the quality of life, then, in the rst
place, it is indispensable to identify those needs, the satisfaction of which contributes
to the common good. Does mere possession contribute to enhancing the quality of
life of all? If we understand possession broadly as economic resources, housing, em-
ployment, working conditions or the ability to satisfy educational needs, and if we
consider that it is not only the quantitative but also the qualitative dimension which
34
is signicant, then another question arises. Does the limited possibility of delive-
ring them in rural areas rule out being smart? However, if this notion is expanded
to include not only having, but also opportunities for utilisation of and equal access
to some goods and resources, then this dimension of enhancing the quality of life
becomes fuller. Also the loving component should be expanded by complementing
it by attachments and contacts in the local community, interpersonal relations or
neighbourhood ties, which de facto determines the possibilities of cooperation for
the common good, hence the third component – to be. is component comprises
the possibility of improvement, personal safety, but also activity in various elds and
the quality of leisure time, which is usually limited in rural areas. Allardt’s approach
to need satisfaction, thus understood, becomes fuller for the explanation of the smart
village concept and the resulting enhancement of the quality of life.
Due to limited nancial possibilities, it is dicult to talk about any sine qua non
conditions for being a smart village and therefore sucient conditions are sought.
It can be assumed that enhancement of the quality of life in rural areas is important
in each eld where the residents expect it. However, comprehensive delivery is not
possible in many cases. erefore, it seems that introducing changes on a micro scale,
frequently at the level of small investments that do not require a lot of funds or require
only people’s own work (for the villages still underinvested), may be an opportunity to
implement smart solutions and improve well-being. While in cities local budgets can
aord capital-intensive solutions, in rural areas these are usually beyond the reach of
the local authorities.
As can be seen, universal operationalisation of the concept of smart villages and
linking it to quality of life is extremely dicult due to the diversity of characteristics
that determine both being smart and enhancing the well-being of rural residents.
ey may be considered to involve solutions including material, social and agri-
environmental well-being, combined with smart innovations and increased activity
for local communities. Smart solutions and innovations that enhance quality of life
must serve social inclusion and the creation of a knowledge-based society, while also
mobilising the resources that villages have. According to Magdalena Zwolińska-Ligaj
et al. (2018), is concept must be conditioned by a set of economic, social and spatial
factors unique to a given area, which determine the diversity of this process paths.
us, there is no single model of creative regional development, and its nature is
determined by local conditions.
It may be assumed that the aim of smart solutions is a development of local com-
munities that it makes them more sustainable and resilient. Enhancement of the
quality of life in rural areas through smart development should encourage young
people to remain in these areas, thereby reducing the problem of “brain drain”. It
should also contribute to an increase in migration of the urban population to villages.
However, this does not only mean migration to areas around large agglomerations or
strongly gentried areas, but also to peripheral villages, and then – giving an impulse
351. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
for their development. In this context, the smart village concept is intended to prevent
depopulation and ageing of Polish rural areas. Rixt A. Bijker et al. (2012) point out
that in popular discourse the village is most oen identied with a sense of rural idyll,
a desire for peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city, willingness
to live more freely, close to nature. It is rarely associated with smart solutions aimed
at enhancing the quality of life. It is, therefore, necessary to take measures that will
trigger active initiatives to enhance quality of life in rural areas and will create their
image as a place that is good for both work and life.
In conclusion, it may be stated that the challenge for contemporary rural areas is
development that focuses on local needs, enhances the quality of life through better
access to (social, technical and transport) services and infrastructure, as well as creates
more resilient social structures, using available and adequate tools (including com-
munication and digital ones). While programming such development, appropriate
agri-environmental, technological and social solutions should be identied so as to
draw on local resources to the maximum.
1.5 Smart city versus smart villages
e concept of smart villages appeared in the rural development policy of the
European Union as an analogy to the smart city concept, in view of the need to achieve
the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. e main priority of this strategy was
sustainable, smart and inclusive growth. A smart city in the literature is also referred
to as a digital city, creative city, intelligent city, information city, knowledge city or
learning city (Gil-Garcia et al., 2015).
e term smart city was used for the rst time in the 1990s. In the beginning
the concept was primarily focused on investments in technology and infrastructure
to be used for smart solutions. Due to environmental pressure and challenges such
as technological progress and the knowledge-based economy, the smart city concept
has evolved over time (Rosa, Jakubowska, 2011). is view was shared by the
commissioners of the European Commission (EC) in whose opinion advanced social
and environmental progress should take place in cities, but only while simultaneously
upholding economic attractiveness and growth based on an integrated approach
(taking into account all aspects of sustainable growth) (European Commission, 2011).
Andrea Caragliu et al. (2011) consider a smart city to be a place where investments
in human and social capital and (traditional, modern) infrastructure are the basis
for sustainable economic growth and a high quality of life, with a simultaneous
wise use of natural resources and civic participation. A smart city is well-organised,
computerised, rational, progressive, internationally competitive, attractive, modern
and friendly for residents (Fazlagić, 2015). It operates on the basis of “a development
strategy that focuses on creativity, openness to innovation and exibility (...) is based
on the application of information and communications technologies (...) with a view
36
to improving the standard of living of the residents and increasing their participation
in making important decisions”. Among others, the following determinants of
smart city development are mentioned: innovation of particular factors, creativity,
entrepreneurship, quality of life, quality of human and social capital (Rogerson, 1999;
Florida, 2005; Szczech-Pietkiewicz, 2015; Capello, 2016). When the term smart city
started to be used, in the beginning its main focus was information technology only.
By analysing smart city models, Taewoo Nam and eresa A. Pardo (2011) found
that the social elements associated with technologies used to transform the economy,
environment and community are always present. Patrizia Lombardi et al. (2012)
extended this approach by including into the smart city model six areas ensuring
enhancement of quality of life and sustainable development: economy, mobility,
environment, people, living conditions, co-governance (Figure 1.9.).
Figure 1.9. Areas of smart city delivery
Source: own work on the basis of the Smart Cities Ranking of European Medium-sized Cities 2007.
e analysis of the smart village concept shows that it is seemingly very close to the
smart city idea; some even call it its ‘rural’ version. Is this really the case? Undoubtedly,
the smart village concept, which in a certain aspect is formulated as an analogy to
the smart city, emphasises that eectively integrated technological progress in rural
areas (together with the development initiatives undertaken) may enhance the quality
of life in villages. However, it should be borne in mind that communities living in
rural areas grapple with dierent problems compared to those in urban areas, and at
the same time they have more limited access to new information technologies. What
distinguishes smart villages from smart cities is social innovation, which may become
a driving force for change in rural areas. Focussing on the development of human
and social capital may contribute to more eective implementation of technological
innovation in these areas (Krievina et al.; 2015; Zwolińska-Ligaj et al., 2018).
economy mobility environment people living
conditions
co-
governance
Smart city
371. Smart villages – from an idea to a rural development instrument
Table 1.3. Comparison of major characteristics of the smart city and smart village concepts
Smart city Smart villages
Initiated in 1990s. In the conceptual phase for 3-4 years.
It is to be a response to technological change,
innovation and environmental pressure
It is to be a response to demographic problems, the
deterioration of public services and low social activity
Objective: increasing the competitiveness of the
territory, increasing the eectiveness of the use of
resources, enhancing the quality of live
Objective: improving living conditions, retaining
residents, digitalisation, developing social capital
The key driver is access to technology and human
capital
The key is social capital, local heritage, promotion of
digital and social innovations
A very important role of private entities and city
authorities (public-private partnerships)
Great importance of local leaders, NGOs and local
authorities (mobilisation and coordination)
Major barriers to implementation: technological, organisational, nancial as well as lack of residents’
awareness, acceptance and co-participation
Source: own work.
Comparing the smart city concept with that of smart villages, it can be observed
that some conditions are common to these concepts, e.g. environmental protection,
while some are dierent – above all demographic phenomena (depopulation
problems). Moreover, the smart village concept, which serves to implement the Europe
2020 strategy and the Cork 2.0 Declaration, is still at the formulation stage, while the
political support of institutions such as the UN, the EU and the OECD has enabled the
rapid development of the smart city concept for many years.
e dierences between the concepts arise also from slightly dierent needs of
urban dwellers compared to those of rural residents (e.g. as regards transport, pace
of life, expectations of need satisfaction). e local potential of villages and its best
exploitation to build the local economy is of great signicance for the model of
smart rural development. is potential relates to social capital as well as economic,
environmental or cultural capital (Bryden, Dawe, 1998). Among the sectors that may
stimulate rural development are tourism, healthcare, recreational services, organic
production, traditional food production, handicras or cultural services (Naldi et al.,
2015). ey can represent a market niche that, if certain local conditions exist, will
aect the quality of life.
It should be emphasised that the implementation of these concepts in both urban
and rural areas encounters barriers whose importance varies. In the case of smart
villages, technological, organisational and nancial barriers seem to be less essential,
whereas mental barriers, i.e. lack of acceptance and identication with the smart
38
development concept, lack of residents’ awareness and interest to participate, seem to
be more serious.
Can we thus consider smart cities and smart villages separately? In the opinion
of the authors, they should be considered simultaneously as there are many links
between them and changes in cities inuence rural areas and vice versa.
2. IN-DEPTH STUDY OF
smart villages
IN POLAND – THE CONCEPT
OF THE FIELD STUDIES
2. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland –
the concept of the eld studies
2.1. Organisation and methodology of the field studies
To learn more about the selected initiatives aimed at smart villages, it was neces-
sary to design in detail the concept of eld studies. ese studies were carried out in
four phases: an initial phase and three research phases (Table ..). During the initial
phase, municipalities with social infrastructure and agri-environmental solutions
that t into the smart villages concept were identied. e selection of municipalities
was based on earlier identication of the initiatives which were submitted to the My
SMART Village competition, organised in by the Institute of Rural and Agricul-
tural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IRWiR PAN) in partnership
with the Rural Development Foundation (FWW), the Union of Rural Municipalities
of the Republic of Poland (ZGW RP) and RURBAN, and in cooperation with the
Polish Rural Network. Subsequently, those that were the winners of the competition or
whose solutions were in line with this monograph’s assumptions were chosen. During
the rst phase key study issues were identied and IDI questionnaires were drawn
up for three groups of respondents: initiators, beneciaries and local authorities. It
was decided that qualitative research would be the best research method, allowing
for a detailed analysis of the initiatives, then a good understanding and specication
of the mechanisms responsible for their successful implementation. Although the
origins of this type of research go back to the times of Bronisław Malinowski, Florian
Znaniecki or Elton Mayo, it is still treated by economists as complementary to quan-
titative research, rarely constituting autonomous research. e choice of the qualita-
tive method was based on the perception that an in-depth case study would better
allow us to show the specic nature of the smart village concept. At the same time it
was assumed that such studies would enable a thorough understanding of the reality
and show the feelings of the initiators and beneciaries of the initiative implemented.
1
Bronisław Kasper Malinowski (1884-1942) – an outstanding Polish social and economic an-
thropologist, traveller, ethnologist, researcher, author of functionalist theory. His research work
involved a long-term stay with the community he was describing.
2
Florian Znaniecki (1882-1958) – Polish philosopher and sociologist, the author of the bio-
graphical method in sociology. He thought that the researcher should look at reality through the
eyes of its participants, adopting a subjective approach.
3
Elton Mayo (1880-1949) – Australian psychologist and sociologist, researcher of working
conditions. During his research he observed that employees’ performance during an experiment
is better when they know that they are participating in the experiment, while it decreases when
the researcher is one of participants and the others do not know that they are participating in the
experiment – the Hawthorne eect.
42
In addition, they would show the thoughts of the local authorities who covered part
of the running costs. It was decided to carry out eld studies in which (as Karolina
Bielenin-Lenczowska () notes) what matters for the recognition of phenomena
taking place is the interaction with the interviewee and “(...) putting emphasis on
dialogue with the interviewee, and not treating him/her only as a source of informa-
tion; on observation and participation in the life of the community under study; as
well as on reection on the role of the researcher in this interaction (...).” Field studies
were conducted in the second phase, using qualitative research techniques: IDI (Indi-
vidual In-depth Interview) and observation. During the third phase the interviews
conducted were recorded and then described.
e choice of eld studies stemmed from the conviction based on the guidelines of
the interpretive paradigm (Ahrens, ; Dobrołowicz, ), according to which, in
order to understand certain events, it is necessary to study their occurrence in-depth.
Hence, the authors decided – as part of the in-depth studies – to take a close look at
municipalities as well as to talk (face-to-face interviews) with initiators, benecia-
ries and municipal authorities. e choice of such a method made it possible to reach
socio-economically diverse units in which smart village projects had already been
identied. e conclusions from the eld studies were comparable for these units –
individual in-depth interviews were conducted on the basis of the scenarios deve-
loped by the research team (see Sub-section ..).
4
An individual in-depth interview (IDI) involves a conversation between the person con-
ducting an interview (interviewer/moderator/researcher) and the respondent (interviewee/inter-
locutor) (Nicińska, 2000). is type of qualitative research allowed for a multi-faceted approach
to the research topics, interviews with dierent types of respondents and an adequate number of
interviews to draw conclusions. An in-depth interview allows for receipt of detailed information
not only about the project itself, but also about its impact on the local community and on the
attractiveness of particular areas. Magdalena Nicińska (2000) points out that “the main advan-
tage of the technique described is that it is possible to learn fully about and understand the attitude
of a particular person as an individual. e task of the interviewer is to get to the motives of the
interviewee’s behaviour, to understand the views and emotions related to the subject under study.
e interviewer’s focus on exclusively one person’s experience is of signicance for achieving this
goal”. Individual in-depth interviews were carried out as part of in-depth case studies in selected
locations (cf. Noor, 2008) with the respondents recruited through the snowball sampling method
(cf. Goodman, 1961).
5
“Observation as a scientic method is a process of attentive and purposive perception that
forms part of the methods of scientic investigation. It is also a peculiar collection, as well as
interpretation, of the explored data in the process of their natural provision when they remain in the
direct view and hearing of the observer” (Cybulska, 2013). In the case of this study, the interviewers
conducted non-participatory observation, i.e. without being assigned a specic role in the observed
group. is enabled a better understanding of the processes and mechanisms functioning in the
municipality surveyed. In addition, as part of this observation photographs of the area (initiatives)
being studied were taken.
432. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
In the framework of the study individual in-depth interviews (IDIs) in total
were carried out in ten municipalities in Poland where smart village solutions were
identied. Two visits were made to each location in order to conduct all interviews
as accurately as possible and to make in-depth observation. e non-probability
sampling approach was chosen – purposive (in the case of initiators and local authori-
ties) and random (in the case of beneciaries). e arbitrary selection of the research
group was justied by meeting the criterion of optimising the information obtained
with a view to answering the research questions asked and determining the impact on
various groups of beneciaries.
e target group of the study were three types of respondents:
. Initiators – persons responsible for the idea, for raising funding and im-
plementing a specic project that ts into smart village assumptions. ey are most
knowledgeable about the whole process of implementing smart initiatives, they are
aware of the needs of the local community and identify “bottlenecks” in the imple-
mentation of bottom-up initiatives. is group of people includes heads of villages,
councillors, heads of rural municipalities/mayors, heads of NGOs, entrepreneurs.
. Beneciaries – recipients of the implemented smart initiative, benetting
from it on an everyday basis. ey do not know the exact process of implementation
of a given project, however, it is persons from this group who report their needs to
the local authorities and initiators. It was assumed that some of the beneciaries par-
ticipated in the undertakings under study. is group includes e.g. members of rural
Table 2.1. Phases of the study
STAGE OF STUDY OBJECTIVE OF STUDY RESEARCH TECHNIQUE RESULT
INITIAL PHASE identication of smart village
initiatives in Poland;
selection of 10 municipalities
for research
My SMART Village competition;
expert panel
Receiving 63 initia-
tives; presentation of
results on the IRWiR
PAN website
PHASE I identication of key research
issues;
organisation of eld studies
desk research preparation of IDI
questionnaires
PHASE II conducting eld studies in-depth interviews (IDIs)
with initiators, benecia-
ries and local authorities;
observation
collection of research
material
PHASE III achievement of the applica-
tion objective of the study
content analysis processing of
research material
Source: own work.
44
organisations (e.g. KGW (Rural Homemakers Clubs), OSP (Voluntary Fire Brigade),
other residents.
. Local authorities – responsible for the performance of their own tasks, mu-
nicipal investments and the distribution of the sołectwo fund, in some cases they were
also initiators of the smart village solutions. In the study the respondents from this
group are understood broadly, i.e. heads of rural municipalities/mayors, councillors,
but also managers in the municipality oce, social welfare centre, cultural centre,
schoolmasters and directors of municipal companies.
anks to the diverse composition of the group, the heuristic function of the
studies was fullled in an optimal way.
It should be stressed that the eld studies were part of larger holistic studies that
required the application of various research methods, including the induction method
(involving observation and recording of facts) and survey methods. Research tech-
niques such as expert opinion, desk research, individual in-depth interviews and
external observation were used. Meetings of an expert group allowed for the veri-
cation of the results of the desk research analyses, while individual in-depth inter-
views allowed for the clarication (confrontation) of the conclusions drawn at the
desk research phase and expansion of the knowledge of smart solutions. is selection
of techniques enabled us to achieve the study objective. Following Virginia Wilson
(), it can be assumed that the triangulation of research methods enables us to
obtain richer, fuller data, and also helps conrm the results of the research.
6
A diagnostic survey “is a way of acquiring knowledge about structural and functional objects
and about the dynamics of social phenomena, opinions and views of the selected communities,
about the intensity and trends of the development of specic phenomena, about any other institu-
tionally non-localised phenomena of educational importance, based on a specially selected group
representing the general population in which the phenomenon under study occurs” (Pilch, 1977).
is method allows obtaining answers to the questions concerning respondents’ views, opinions,
motives for behaviour, expectations, attitudes (Muchnicka, 1974).
7
In order to develop the study concept, design scenarios of individual in-depth interviews
(IDIs), select municipalities and then arrange interviews, the researchers were required to familia-
rise themselves with the characteristics of a given unit. is was done through desk research carried
out by the research team. e research consisted in a review of publicly available sources of the
subject of interest for the study. In the case of this study, these included, inter alia, municipality
websites, sołectwo fan pages and blogs, local information portals, Local Data Bank of Statistics
Poland, Google Scholar search engine and social media.
452. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
2.2. Selection of municipalities for the study
Figure 2.1. Distribution of initiatives submitted to the rst competition My SMART Village
Source: own work.
e database of municipalities was the list of submissions for the st edition of the
My SMART Village competition organised by IRWiR PAN in in the framework
of the Polish Rural Network’s call for proposals. All provinces were represented in the
competition (Figure ..). e provinces that submitted the largest number of pro-
posals were Wielkopolskie (nine submissions) and Kujawsko-Pomorskie (six submis-
sions); the smallest – Zachodniopomorskie and Lubelskie provinces (one submission
each).
Out of complete submissions (from municipalities), a purposive (expert)
selection of ten municipalities from seven provinces was made, taking account of
the following: spatial dierentiation, socio-economic structure, population, nature
of the identied smart initiative (Figure ..; Table ..). In this case the purposive
selection of municipalities was necessary to gather in-depth data on the conditions
46
and mechanisms for undertaking smart initiatives. e selection of respondents in
each municipality was also purposive. e use of such a selection procedure was
necessary, because the authors of the monograph were only interested in the views of
groups with a specic prole – the initiators of the projects, the beneciaries of the
solutions indicated and the local authorities.
According to Andrzej Rosner (), the risk of not having a sucient number of
respondents to meet the research assumptions is then minimised. At the same time
the advantage of such a selection is that the respondent, in addition to meeting the
formal criteria, is to some extent known to the researchers, which makes it easier to
reach him/her.
Figure 2.2. Location of municipalities where smart village initiatives were implemented
Source: own work.
Staszów
Morawica
Magnuszew
Jarocin
Szubin
Dragacz
Rzeczenica
Olsztynek
472. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
Table 2.2. List of initiatives selected for the study89
No. Title of smart initiative
(locality)
Municipality
(province, county)
Socio-economic
structure8 /
population size
(no. of people)9
Rationale for the selection
1. Don’t chatter, just do it!
Rural Actions – urban
inspirations (Mniszek)
Dragacz
(Kujawsko-Pomor-
skie, Świecki)
Predominance of
large-scale agricul-
ture
/ 7,216
Award in the rst competi-
tion My SMART Village, several
bottom-up initiatives in
various areas, e.g. cultural
heritage, education, ecology
2. Retrotting recreational
and educational infra-
structure by the pond in
Łuszczanów (Łuszczanów)
Jarocin
(Wielkopolskie,
Jarociński)
Urbanised, reduction
of an agricultural
function
/ 45,731
Third place in the rst
competition My SMART
Village, a bottom-up initiative
combining infrastruc-
tural and environmental
measures, and those aimed
at residents’ integration
3. Local experience as
the basis for the village
cultural programme,
based on the example
of Plecionka Association
(Magnuszew)
Magnuszew
(Mazowieckie,
Kozienicki)
Predominance of
traditional agriculture
/ 6,742
Participant in in the rst
competition My SMART
Village, several bottom-up
initiatives related to culture
4. A new model of
a hospice in rural areas
(Michałowo)
Michałowo
(Podlaskie,
Białostocki)
Predominance of
traditional agriculture
/ 6,565
Award in the rst com-
petition My SMART Village,
a community initiative in
healthcare
5. Smart Village – Piaseczna
Górka (Piaseczna Górka)
Morawica
(Świętokrzyskie,
Kielecki)
Urbanised, reduction
of an agricultural
function
/ 16,756
First place in the rst
competition My SMART
Village, various bottom-up
initiatives, among others:
environmental, cultural and
stimulating physical activity
8
According to the typology of rural development in: Stanny M., Rosner A., Komorowski Ł.
(2018). Monitoring rozwoju obszarów wiejskich. Etap III. Struktury społeczno-gospodarcze, ich prze-
strzenne zróżnicowanie i dynamika. [Rural Development Monitoring. Stage III. Socio-economic
Structures, their Spatial Dierentiation and Dynamic.] Warszawa: EFRWP, IRWiR PAN.
9 According to the data of the GUS Local Data Bank for 2019.
48
6. Ostoja Wioska 3.0
(Tomaszyn)
Olsztynek
(Warmińsko-
Mazurskie,
Olsztyński)
Predominance of
large-scale agricul-
ture
/ 13,701
Award in the rst com-
petition My SMART Village,
organic farming in combina-
tion with other activities for
the local community (e.g.
local farmers’ markets, bio-
markets)
7. Entertainment and
Sports Hall in Ryczywół.
How come Ryczywół
became smart?
(Ryczywół)
Ryczywół
(Wielkopolskie,
Obornicki)
Multifunctional,
balance of sectors
/ 7,293
Second place in the rst
competition My SMART
Village, infrastructural
investment in sports and
recreation, using new
technologies
8. Smart Village –
Rzeczenica
Rzeczenica
(Pomorskie,
Człuchowski)
Predominance of
large-scale agricul-
ture
/ 3,607
Participant in in the rst
competition My SMART
Village, several bottom-up
initiatives in various elds,
among others, tourism and
recreation, education
9. My Smart Village
(Wiązownica-Kolonia)
Staszów
(Świętokrzyskie,
Staszowski)
Predominance of an
agricultural function,
intermediate
/ 25,599
Award in the rst com-
petition My SMART Village,
various bottom-up
initiatives, among others:
communication with the
residents, education, culture
10. Astronomical, Cultural
and Educational Centre
(Niedźwiady)
Szubin (Kujawsko-
-Pomorskie,
Nakielski)
Multi-functional,
balance of sectors
/ 24,797
Participant in in the rst
competition My SMART
Village, investment in infra-
structure combined with that
in education
Source: own work.
2.3. Scenarios of individual in-depth interviews
As already noted, three scenarios of individual in-depth interviews were deve-
loped. e specic features of each of them related to the type of respondents and
the information they could contribute to the studies. All questions were open-ended.
e purpose of the questions was to do a reconnaissance of the area, thus to obtain as
broad answers as possible to the research questions. Open-ended questions enabled us
to understand the perspective of particular participants in the interview and to get to
492. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
the opinions that the authors of the project were not aware of at the stage of desi gning
the studies. e form of open-ended questions enabled us to ask additional questions
facilitating understanding of the specic character of the regions and projects under
study. Some interviews were recorded with the consent of the respondents. In case
there was no consent or possibility to record the interview, notes were taken.
. How does the initiator understand the concept of smart villages?
. What made him/her undertake the initiative (which incentive)?
. Was he/she inspired by other initiatives? If so, which ones?
. How did the author of the solution identify the needs of the local community?
Or did he/she not identify them? (talks, public consultations, observation)?
. How did the process of creating the initiative look?
. What did cooperation on the initiative (innovation) look like? Who was
involved at each stage of planning/creation? How was the involvement of the
local community stimulated?
. What new tools/products were developed? Did the initiative become a driver
for other local activities?
. How did the solution aect the surroundings (value added for the village, mu-
nicipality, region)? Did it create any collaboration, were new contacts made?
. How did the concept turn into a sustainable solution? What are the long-term
benets? Did the created solutions prevent the outow of young residents?
How can the initiative encourage the inhabitants to stay/return and new resi-
dents to come?
. In what way is the solution introduced unique? On what scale can we talk
about this uniqueness (local, regional, national, global)?
. Where was support for investment received from? How did the eorts to obtain
support look? Was it easy/dicult to receive it? Did a specialist help in obtai-
ning support for the investment (an ocial, private advisor, NGO member)?
. What barriers/constraints did they encounter during the investment imple-
mentation? To what extent was the nal result consistent with the initial
assumptions (nancial resources, their own contribution, competences, people’s
engagement)?
. How should one support leaders so that they would create smart villages? How
should one encourage the establishment of NGOs working for the benet of
villages/communities?
. What good advice would the leader give to potential initiators of similar solu-
tions? What should they pay attention to?
50
. What investments/initiatives have been carried out recently in your locality/
municipality?
. If they do not mention the initiative surveyed, have you heard about this initia-
tive (describe)?
. How did this initiative aect your daily life?
. How does the initiative stimulate the local economy? Has it brought in more
visitors / tourists / new investors?
. How were you involved in the implementation of the initiative? Did you have
such a possibility/invitation to do so? If not, would you like to be involved in
similar initiatives in the future?
. In your opinion, to what extent can this initiative contribute to people’s stay or
return to the village? Can (does) it encourage inow of new residents?
. In what way is the solution introduced unique? On what scale can we talk
about this uniqueness (local, regional, national, global)?
. Have you come across the term ‘smart villages’?
. Do you think that the village (name) aspires to be a smart village?
. How should local governments / authorities support investments that respond
to the needs of the residents (e.g. in the eld of smart villages)?
. How does the respondent understand the concept of smart villages?
. Did the municipal government participate in the project in any way (an idea,
nancing, implementation, consulting, giving consents)?
. If so, how did cooperation on the initiative (innovation) look? Who was
involved in the dierent stages of planning/creating? How was the involvement
of the local community stimulated?
. What new tools/products were developed? Did the initiative become a driver
for other local activities?
. How did the solution aect the surroundings? Did it lead to any collaboration,
were new contacts made?
. How does the innovation improve the quality of life of the residents?
. What is the value added for the village / municipality / region?
. How did the concept turn into a sustainable solution? What are the long-term
benets? Did the created solutions prevent the outow of young residents?
How can the initiative encourage the inhabitants to stay/return and new resi-
dents to come?
. In what way is the solution unique? On what scale can we talk about this
uniqueness (local, regional, national, global)?
512. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
. Does the solution generate additional costs/allow for savings in the municipal
budget? Are these costs somehow compensated by revenues or lower opportu-
nity costs / alternative costs?
. How should one support leaders so that they would create smart villages? How
should one encourage the establishment of NGOs working for the benet of
villages/municipalities?
. What good advice would the respondent give to potential initiators of solu-
tions similar to yours?
. Does the local government see the need to launch smart village projects? How
should (and can) the local government support such initiatives? To what extent
do legal regulations / nancia / human resources enable your involvement in
bottom-up initiatives?
2.4 Characteristics of the municipalities and initiatives surveyed
Dragacz is a rural municipality situated in the northern part of the Kujawsko-
Pomorskie province, in Świeckie county. It is located in the vicinity of the forests in the
Nadwiślański Landscape Park and the Protected Eastern Area of the Tuchola Forest
Landscape, very close to the A motorway. e municipality is composed of twelve
sołectwos (Bratwin, Dolna Grupa, Dragacz, Fletnowo, Górna Grupa, Grupa, Grupa
Osiedle, Michale, Mniszek, Wielki Lubień, Wielkie Stwolno, Wielkie Zajączkowo),
comprising een villages in total. e area of the municipality is . km. e
number of inhabitants in was ,, while in it was ,, which means that
there was a slight decrease in the population. e average population density is
people per km.
e initiative was developed in the small sołectwo of Mniszek. In the sołectwo
consisted of two villages: Nowe Marzy and Mniszek, divided into four parts by the
motorway and the national road, with numerous detours (some of them as long as
km from one part of the village to another). In the opinion of the initiators, the village
is treated as a peripheral area of the municipality due to its small population (
people); it has no sewage or water supply systems.
e initiators of the actions taken for the local community were Ms Dorota
Dembińska, Head of the Village, and Ms Sylwia Dembińska. rough the use of social
innovations and new solutions, they wanted to provide the residents with the best
possible living space and align their standard of living with that in urban areas. As
the authors of the initiative think, technological progress and the possibility of using
digital skills and state-of-the-art technologies in everyday village life were of particu-
lar help in the implementation of the measures. e actions focused on four spheres
of village life:
52
. social – education (training, workshops, study tours), sports (organisation of
sport competitions), spending time together and integration, care for the vil-
lage’s elderly residents and those in need,
. cultural – traditions, customs, rituals, artistic creativity (handicras, theatre
performances, contests, shows),
. environmental – taking care of nature, recycling, upcycling,
. economic – working on the establishment of a thematic village and commu-
nity centre with a wide range of workshops.
Over the period of eight years (-), forty projects were implemented in
the village within these spheres without nancial support or external funds. ey
included:
• familyandrecreationalevents,
• theatricalperformances,
• artcompetitionsforthewholemunicipality,e.g.“25YearsofFreedom–What
is Democracy for Me?” “Legends and Fables from Poland and Caucasian
Countries” (together with the Refugee Centre in Grupa),
• publications, e.g. “e Toolkit for the Rural Homemakers from Mniszek”,
“Chronicle of Mniszek”, “Digitalisation of Photos Collected from the Resi-
dents”,
• workshops aimed at counteracting digital exclusion of the 50+ generation
and people from other age groups for whom computer skills are essential
to function in the current world – “Lighthouse Keeper of Digital Poland” in
Dragacz municipality,
• cooperationwiththeRefugeeCentreinGrupaintheorganisationofmeetings
and cultural events (breaking stereotypes towards other cultures – from Trans-
caucasian countries).
All initiatives were (and still are) targeted to both children and adults living in
the sołectwo. e measures contribute to mobilising adults and serve to initiate inter-
generation cooperation, e.g.:
• “GrandparentstoGrandchildren.ehistorythatsurroundsus”–thehistory
of the village was presented during educational classes,
• “Iam fromKociewie”– includingtheCulturalEthno Design Fermentfrom
Kociewie – the use of folklore in decorative arts and designing clothes,
• “MedicinesfromGod’sPharmacy”–makingnaturalcosmetics;planting,col-
lecting herbs and owers and making medicines, ointments, natural cosmetics
– macerates from them,
• “eneighboursthatwedon’tknow”–organisingworkshopsatwhichyoung
people learn new skills from their neighbours,
• “Youcan’tjustlivetowork”–organisingentertainmentinthevillage(picnics,
markets, festivals, exhibitions, Village Dance Club – a social event set to folk
tunes).
532. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
e following organisations, among others, were the external source of funding
the initiatives implemented: the Rural Development Foundation (FWW), the Mar-
shall’s Oce (Administration of the Province), the programme of the Civic Initiatives
Fund, the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego Foundation.
e village community centre plays an important role in the village; it hosts year-
round activities for children and adults. ey are carried out free of charge by volun-
teers who share their skills and knowledge. anks to these activities, training, work-
shops, lectures or study tours are organised.
e implemented initiatives were designed to reduce barriers between rural and
urban areas in access to training, workshops, events and new technologies. e initia-
tors took care so that the inhabitants acquired new skills, received training and got to
know their own value, were inspired by examples and good practices from all accross
Poland, and so that the skills they acquired could be put into practice.
Photograph 2.1. Training in computer skills
for seniors in Mniszek
Source: Dorota Dembińska.
Photograph 2.4. The building of the rural
community centre in Mniszek
Source: Anna Rosa.
Photograph 2.2. Training in the use of folklore
in decorative arts and designing clothes
Source: Dorota Dembińska.
Photograph 2.3. Location of the sołectwo
of Mniszek
Source: Dorota Dembińska.
54
Jarocin municipality is situated in Jarociński county, Wielkopolskie province. It is
an urban-rural municipality. It is is adjacent to the following municipalities: Dobrzyca,
Jaraczewo, Kotlin, Koźmin Wielkopolski, Nowe Miasto nad Wartą, Żerków. It consists
of twenty three sołectwos. e area of the municipality is . km. It is inhabited by
, people. e average population density is people per km. ere has been
some slight decline in the municipality’s population.
e initiative itself is located in the village of Łuszczanów, which is one of the
sołectwo villages inhabited by approximately people. e initiative – “Retrotting
the recreational and educational infrastructure by the village pond in Łuszczanów” –
was implemented by a natural water reservoir (the village pond – former cattle watering
place, area of approx. m), located in a depression by the Brodek stream, at the
northern edge of Łuszczanów village. e investment was initiated by the village leader
of Łuszczanów together with the sołectwo Council and the Village Renewal Group, the
Association for Integration and Development of Łuszczanów Village. e initiative was
submitted to the competition by Mr Łukasz Witczak, member of the sołectwo Council,
who is called by the locals one of the two local Midases (the number of initiatives and
ideas submitted by these gentlemen is so huge that it could ll the whole book).
e entire initiative is valued by its authors at PLN ,, of which the sołectwo’s
own contribution was ,, funds from the municipal budget – ,, the sołectwo
fund – ,, and the remaining , came from grants and competitions. e
project was implemented in -. e initiative involved deepening, cleaning and
restocking the pond; levelling out part of the area around the pond; levelling out the
access road to the pond; planting some trees (willows); removing a dead tree; creating
a rock garden and a hearth; placing several benches by the hearth and an informa-
tion board with regulations. At the second stage land development works around the
pond were carried out: assembly of a wooden barbecue hut, installation of an automa-
tic wireless meteorological station (equipped with a solar set and a GPRS modem) for
educational purposes (measured parameters: air temperature and humidity, pressure,
precipitation, wind speed and direction, UV and solar radiation, water temperature,
ground temperature). During the third stage further development works in the area
around the pond were carried out: construction of a bridge-type surface made of
planed wooden planks on joists (anchored in concrete foundation footings), construc-
tion of a separate toilet with a prefabricated sceptic tank for domestic sewage, furnish-
ment of the area with small landscaping elements – benches and waste bins, installa-
tion of lighting – a hybrid lamp powered by photovoltaic modules and a wind turbine
equipped with an LED light. During the last stage, the barbecue hut was equipped with
electrical installation, including lighting powered by a photovoltaic module.
is is a typical initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of life of the local residents
by creating an educational and recreational space. e area provides an amenity for
the local residents. Its advantage is a wide range of works, but also the use of the area.
552. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
Photograph 2.6. A view of the pond in Łuszczanów
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
Photograph 2.5. A view of the pond and shed in Łuszczanów
Source: Łukasz Witczak.
56
e rural municipality of Magnuszew is located in the southern part of Ma-
zowieckie province, Kozienicki county, by the Vistula river. It takes just over an hour
to get from Magnuszew to Warsaw. e municipality is inhabited by , people
and that number has been relatively stable since the s. Agriculture and horticul-
ture dominate within the socio-economic structure of the unit – the municipality is
located in Grójecki-Warecki region, known as the Polish fruit-growing centre. e
municipality consists of sołectwos.
e smart actions identied in the unit analysed have a municipality-wide cha-
racter, i.e. they are located in dierent villages (e.g. in Przewóz Tarnowski, Chmielew)
and addressed to all the residents living in the area under the local government. e
Photograph 2.7. The hearth and benches
by the shed in Łuszczanów
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
Photograph 2.8. A view of the wireless
meteorological station in Łuszczanów
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
572. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
projects were usually nanced in the framework of national grants announced by
non-governmental organisations. eir costs ranged from several to several dozen
thousand zlotys. e target group was mainly children and young people from the
municipality. e following initiatives were surveyed:
• art workshopsfor youngpeople;thecategoryof educationand promotionof
culture,
• “Barefootthrough the Village” project, which involvedbuilding abeachvol-
leyball court, drawing up a map of the most interesting sites in the municipality
and organising a series of workshops and excursions; the category of streng-
thening local identity and recreation,
• productionofaPolish-Czechlm,precededbyalmworkshop;thecategory
of mobilising residents and promoting culture,
• otherinitiatives,undertakeninparticularbythePlecionkaAssociation.
Photograph 2.9. The map of the most
interesting sites in the municipality
drawn up by the residents
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.10. Exhibition of lomographies
(made by the residents) in the community centre in
Przewóz Tarnowski
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.11. Exhibition of
lomographies (made by the residents)
in the community centre in Przewóz
Tarnowski
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
58
Michałowo Municipality is located in Podlaskie province, Białostocki county, on
the border with Belarus. It is adjacent to the following municipalities: Gródek, Narew,
Narewka, Zabłudów. e area of the municipality is . km, and it is composed of
sołectwos and localities. e Narew River runs through the municipality. Until
Michałowo was a rural and since it has been an urban-rural municipality.
e population in was ,, in . – ,, while in – ,, which implies
strong depopulation processes. Taking into account an unfavourable age pyramid, i.e.
people at the post-working age constitute . and in rural areas – . of the
population, a project entitled “New model of hospice in rural areas” seems to be an
extremely important solution. e demographic dependency ratio (post-working age
population per people of working age) is ., while the old-age dependency ratio
is .. Furthermore, of the residents live in rural areas.
e in-depth study covered the initiative located in the municipality of Michałowo,
addressed to the rural residents, who are the elderly, the ill (including the terminally
ill, dependent on others, very oen at the end of their lives), and their caregivers. e
initiators of the actions were Mr Paweł Grabowski and Ms Anna Borysiewicz together
with the Foundation of Prophet Elijah Hospice. So far the home hospice model has
been functioning, however the initiators plan an inpatient hospice which will also
have solutions typical of smart villages.
Photograph 2.12. The retrotted
community centre in Przewóz Tarnowski
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.13. The logo of the Plecionka
Association operating in Magnuszew
municipality
Source: Plecionka (https://www.facebook.com/
Plecionka-879042392176643)
592. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
e innovation is an extremely important social initiative aimed at people who are
at signicant risk of exclusion, namely the ill and the elderly. e healthcare system is
inecient and oen has insucient nancial capacity. Innovative measures therefore
allow greater access to healthcare. In addition, the problems of rural areas, where
there are far fewer facilities, have an impact on the system limitations. If aging of the
rural population in Poland is taken into account, the great signicance of the project
can be seen. e innovative hospice model initiated is based on two pillars:
) the adaptation of Hospice services to the real needs of the ill in rural areas,
) the inclusion, in the Hospice team, of caregivers who can relieve specialists of
caring for the ill and provide respite assistance to the those caring for the ill.
e authors of the project point out that the overall cost of patient care fell by one
third in the assistance model they propose. Doctors visit patients at home at least once
a month and a nurse once or twice a week. Depending on the requirements and needs
of the patients, also physiotherapists and psychologists come to them. e Hospice
has a rental service of medical and rehabilitation equipment. Home hospices provide
their services in ve municipalities and two counties in Podlaskie province. Without
using drones, robots and state-of-the-art technologies, the authors of the project are
building a smart village.
Photograph 2.14. A photo from the home Hospice in Michałowo municipality
Source: Piotr Mojsak.
60
e urban-rural municipality of Morawica is located in Kieleckie county,
Świętokrzyskie province. It borders the city of Kielce to the south. In the munici-
pality population was ,, including , in rural areas. Since , the number
of inhabitants has increased by . National road crosses the municipality, which
enables people to get to Kielce in een minutes. Due to the proximity of the provin-
cial capital and its inuence, the unit can be described as urbanised, where the agri-
cultural function is being reduced in favour of o-farming activities. e municipality
Photograph 2.18. The building in which
the Foundation of Prophet Elijah Hospice
has a seat at present
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
Photograph 2.15. Nadzieja, a patient in the home
Hospice in Michałowo municipality
Source: The Archive of the Foundation of Prophet
Elijah Hospice.
Photograph 2.16. Mikołaj, a patient
in the home Hospice in Michałowo
municipality
Source: The Archive of the Foundation
of Prophet Elijah Hospice.
Photograph 2.17. The in-patient hospice building
under construction in Michałowo municipality
Source: The Archive of the Foundation of Prophet
Elijah Hospice.
612. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
is composed of sołectwos, and the largest of them, Bilcza, is inhabited by about
, people, which means that it twice as populous as the town of Morawica.
e in-depth study covered the initiatives implemented in one sołectwo, Piaseczna
Górka, located in the north of the municipality. e locality is inhabited by people
and is called a ‘dormitory village’, i.e. a large part of its residents stay in Kielce during
the day (work, education, recreation, etc.). Within the last years the number of
Piaseczna Górka residents has tripled, mainly due to the inow of people from Kielce.
e projects implemented in the municipality (apart from cost-free ones related to
communication) were nanced from various sources, among others: National Fund
for Environmental Protection and Water Management, grants, enterprise funds. Most
of the projects were carried out in cooperation between the village association and
other entities, oen operating on a regional or even national scale. e residents of
the village were involved in the initiative, thanks to which a kind of solidarity around
a common interest was created. e costs of the projects were at the level of a few
thousand zlotys, rarely tens of thousands of zlotys.
e subject of the study were the following initiatives identied as those that t
into the smart village concept:
•agroupofresidentsandthevillageassociation’sFacebookpage;thecategoryof
communication with residents,
•creation of arain garden and installation of solar lamps in the centre of the
village; the category of environmental measures and energy,
•an open-air self-service library in apublic place; the category of promoting
culture and the idea of bookcrossing,
•aquestingtrail;thecategoryofeducationandstrengtheninglocalidentity,
•otherinitiativesundertaken,interalia,bythe“ZGórki”RuralAssociation.
Photograph 2.19. The playground for street-
ball, football and gazebo with state-of-the-art
LED lighting (Piaseczna Górka)
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.20. The rain garden in
the area at risk of ooding in the centre
of Piaseczna Górka
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
62
Photograph 2.25. Can smart
initiatives encourage people to
settle down here?10
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
10
e banner inscription states: I live here, I pay tax here. File your tax return where you live
and have an impact on local development. 38% of your tax supports the development of the munici-
pality.
Photograph 2.21. The open-air
library in an antique phone
box in Piaseczna Górka
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.22. The board containing information on
plants in the rain garden in Piaseczna Górka
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.23. A view of the recreation centre and the
rain garden in Piaseczna Górka
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.24. The hearth
and benches in Piaseczna Górka
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
632. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
e urban-rural municipality of Olsztynek is located in Olsztyński county, Warmińsko-
Mazurskie Province. Express roads S and S cross the municipality, as a result of which
it takes around minutes to travel to Olsztyn. In the population of the municipality
was ,, including , in rural areas. Since the number of municipality residents
has been stable. e local government of Olsztynek is composed of sołectwos.
e activity of the Agricultural Production Cooperative “Ostoja Natury” (Refuge
of Nature) called Ostoja Wioska .. is covered by the study. Its seat is located in
Tomaszyn village (which belongs to the sołectwo of Samagowo). It is a very small
village surrounded by forests, located at the northern edge of the municipality. It
consists of only four farms and a few summer houses. Tomaszyn is one of European
villages included in the “Smart Rural ” programme.
e actions taken by the cooperative t into the broadly dened concept of smart
villages, including smart agriculture. e projects described below were mostly
nanced by the cooperative and partners’ own resources, although public funds (e.g.
from the RDP) were increasingly provided. e initiatives comprise, among others:
•year-roundproductionofhigh-qualityfood,includingtheuseofstate-of-the-art
technologies; the agriculture category,
•activity in line with the zero-waste idea, rainwater-based irrigation systems,
a passive greenhouse, use of solar panels and water turbines; the environmental
and energy category,
•salesofproductsthroughshortsupplychains;thecategoryofentrepreneurship
development and mobilisation of residents,
•information, cultural, entertainment activities carried out through online
channels; the communication category.
11
https://www.smartrural21.eu/villages/.
Photograph 2.26. Ostoja Natury TV – information, education and documentary channel
(on YouTube)
Source: Screenshot of the Ostoja Natury TV site on YouTube.
64
Photograph 2.27. A view of the farm of
the Agricultural Production Cooperative
“Ostoja Natury“ in Tomaszyn
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.28. Organic crops in
“Ostoja Natury” in Tomaszyn
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.29. Crops grown in “Ostoja Natury” using No-Dig technology (Tomaszyn)
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
652. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
Photograph 2.32. The road sign to the Bio Hub Bazar
open every Sunday in Olsztynek
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.31. Irrigation of crops
applying the cooperative’s original
Ost-Oya system in “Ostoja Natury”
in Tomaszyn
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.30. A polytunnel using new production technologies in “Ostoja Natury”
in Tomaszyn
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
66
e rural municipality of Ryczywół is located in Obornicki county, Wielkopolskie
province. Until it was part of Pilskie province. It is adjacent to the following
municipalities: Budzyń, Czarnków, Oborniki, Połajewo, Rogoźno. e area of the
municipality is . km. e municipality consists of sołectwos. In the
number of inhabitants was nearly ,, in it increased by about , to fall to
, in . is implies minor depopulation processes. . of the population is at
pre-working age and . at post-working age. ere are no lakes in the municipality,
which means it has no chance (as compared to the surrounding units) to attract
tourists. Almost one fourth of the municipality area is covered by forests.
e in-depth study covered the initiative of the entertainment and sports hall
in Ryczywół and also related activities, e.g. the pump-track and the bicycle repair
station. Some residents pointed out that Ryczywół was a ‘dormitory village’ for
Poznań and Wągrowiec, even though it is located about km from the former, and
young people are leaving the village for bigger towns. e initiative itself perhaps
was not supposed to encourage young people to stay in Ryczywół, but rather to show
that “life in rural areas could be a mark of quality rather than of shame” (statement
by one of the respondents). e investment was initiated by the then head of the
municipality Ms Renata Gembiak-Binkiewicz and the Chairman of the Municipality
Council Mr Michał Bogacz. eir aim was to build a real sports hall so that the
residents would be proud of it. e entertainment and sports hall was built with the
support of the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection (a preferential loan of
over PLN . million) and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism (PLN . million). e
entertainment and sports hall is characterised by many ecological and technological
solutions: a ground heat exchanger, a system fully recuperating heat from used air,
external blinds which react automatically to the insolation level, a service water mixer
that optimises energy consumption. In addition, the entertainment and sports hall
is covered with a .-meter layer of special grey polystyrene preventing heat losses in
winter and overheating in summer. It is heated by a biomass-fuelled boiler, and to heat
, m of the building, it is enough to have the same quantity of pellet as for two
small detached houses. ere is only LED lighting in the entertainment and sports
hall, and it is switched on in the corridors, cloakrooms and sanitary rooms thanks to
motion sensors. Large energy-saving windows were designed on the southern side of
the entertainment and sports hall and small windows on its northern side.
e entertainment and sports hall is used by the residents of all ages, and activities
are run almost all day long. As it is possible to divide the entertainment and sports hall
into separate parts, up to several sports teams can train there at a time. e entertain-
ment and sports hall is equipped with a control-room and a roll-out mat to prevent
damage to the oor, so that it can be used for purposes other than sports. e value
that characterises the entertainment and sports hall is a possibility to mobilise and to
672. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
integrate a large group of residents. e entertainment and sports hall has a confe-
rence room where various social and ocial meetings are held.
In addition to the entertainment and sports hall, a pump-track for bicycles and
a bicycle repair station were built. e strong engagement of associations, inclu-
ding “Czynnik Rodzinni”, “AleBabki” and “KGW Pasjonatki”, is an important aspect
the actions and the reason why the village can be considered as smart. e project’s
initiator believes that there are around forty such associations in the municipality.
Ryczywół alone is inhabited by just over , people, and as the observation shows
they own one of the most advanced entertainment and sports halls in Poland.
Photograph 2.33. The Entertainment and Sports Hall in Ryczywół
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
Photograph 2.34. The Entertainment and Sports Hall in Ryczywół
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
68
Photograph 2.35. The Entertainment and Sports Hall in Ryczywół
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
Photograph 2.36. The recuperation
system in the Entertainment and Sports
Hall in Ryczywół
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
Photograph 2.37. The control room in
the Entertainment and Sports Hall in
Ryczywół
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
692. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
Photograph 2.38. The market square in Ryczywół12
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
12
e Ryczywół coat of arms features the black head of an ox ox with white horns. Loosely
translated, Ryczywół means ”roaring ox”.
Photograph 2.39. The Entertainment and Sports Hall in Ryczywół, shelves displaying awards
for sports achievements
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
70
Rzeczenica Municipality is located on the border of Pomorskie and Zachodniopo-
morskie, in the south-western part of Pomorskie province. e municipality belongs
to Człuchowski county. e area of the municipality is . km. e terrain is cha-
racterised by a very high degree of aorestation (more than of the area is covered
by forest). e municipality is inhabited by , people and the population density
is just over people per km. e municipality consists of twenty four localities in
seven sołectwos: Breńsk, Brzezie, Gwieździn, Międzybórz, Olszanowo, Pieniężnica
and Rzeczenica. e municipality of Rzeczenica has the largest number of residents
(,, which accounts for more than of the total municipality population).
e in-depth study covered the initiatives undertken in the sołectwo of Rzecze-
nica by Mr Bartłomiej Ożański and Ms Ewelina Ławecka, who set up the Art Corner
(“Zakątek Sztuki”) Foundation. e project started in September , but unfortu-
nately due to the SARS-CoV- coronavirus pandemic, it was impossible to implement
all the planned initiatives.
e authors of the project designed an environmental “Bookworm’s Bench” which
entered the rst stage implementation. A QR code was placed on the bench (the app
developed enables borrowing books and checking what books are available in a par-
ticular sołectwo).
Photograph 2.41. The bicycle repair
station in Ryczywół
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
Photograph 2.40. The pump-track and a view of
the school in Ryczywół
Source: Sławomir Kalinowski.
712. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
“Bookworm’s Benches” form an element of local community integration (on each
bench there are books which can be read on the spot or taken home). ey also con-
stitute a cultural and innovative element (the use of the app to borrow books, deve-
loped especially for this project and the municipality).
Currently, the “Bookworm’s Forest” project is at the next stage of its implementa-
tion, which is to involve the creation of the Forest Library in the form of a Tree of
Books (it will be located in the area designated by the municipality for Art Corner
Foundation activity).
e Foundation also oers a mechatronics workshops for students in grades six to
eight of primary school. Students will work, among others, on Arduino Uno boards
while preparing elements of smart villages. e resulting projects will be their inde-
pendent work, created under the supervision of an electronics engineer, programmer
and master of sciences in industrial design.
e authors of the initiative plan to mark the municipality of Rzeczenica with
a Beacon transmitter to promote tourist attractions, so that people passing through
the municipality (it is located on the route to Koszalin and Berlin) will have an oppor-
tunity to see what attractions there are in its area. e Foundation wants to mark sites
worth seeing in the municipality, which aer crossing the municipality border will
be displayed on a specially developed app (with an access map and brief information
about the given object or attractive service).
Funds necessary for the implementation of the actions taken were provided by the
authors of the initiative, the municipality and companies.
13
https://blog.estimote.com/post/177348177680/estimote-lte-m-beacon
Photograph 2.42. The “Bookworm’s Bench” in Rzeczenica
Source: Anna Rosa.
72
e beneciaries of the actions taken, depending on the stage and implementation
of the tasks, will be as follows:
•the residentsof Rzeczenica municipality(7 sołectwos)andRzewnica(the area
located by Szczytno Lake),
•touristsvisitingthemunicipality,
•peoplepassingthroughthemunicipalityinterestedinlearningsomethingabout
the village,
•youth(whoareup-to-datewiththesolutionsappliedinurbanareas)asdevelo-
pers of smart solutions and creators of their living space.
e initiators plan, in cooperation with the local community, to develop further
innovations to facilitate life in the village, while making it a modern place, retai-
ning its unique atmosphere and charm, where one can nd zones free from ‘network
coverage’ and be ‘in life’, and not only ‘online’.
e town of Staszów is located in Świętokrzyskie province and it is the seat of the
urban-rural municipality bearing the same name and Staszowski county. It is situated
close to the border of Podkarpackie and Małopolskie provinces. e journey by car from
Staszów to Kielce takes about minutes. e municipality is inhabited by , people,
including , in the rural area. Over the last years the municipality has shrunk by
Photograph 2.43. The forest library in the form of a Tree of Books in Rzeczenica
Source: Anna Rosa.
732. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
about – the process of population outow aects mainly the town of Staszów. In
terms of socio-economic structure, the agricultural function dominates in the munici-
pality, but it is of an indirect character, i.e. within the next dozen or so years it may be
transformed towards o-farming activities. e municipality consists of sołectwos.
e study covered the smart village initiatives identied in the village of
Wiązownica-Kolonia. e village is located at the eastern edge of the municipality,
in the Kacanka River valley. It is inhabited by approx. people, and this number
is systematically falling (by over in the last dozen or so years). Projects were im-
plemented using various sources of funding (about several thousand or more than
ten thousand zlotys), e.g. the Ministry of Digitalisation, grants, the sołectwo budget,
public collections. Other organisations, including regional and national ones, as well
as the village residents, also joined in.
e following projects were subject of an in-depth analysis:
•aninformationandconsultationblogrunbytheheadofthevillageandadatabase
of residents’ mobile phone numbers for contact via SMS and MMS; the category
of communication with residents,
•computerclassesandtrainingincomputerliteracyandinternetuse;thecategory
of education and digital competences,
•videosurveillancewithalarminthecentralpartofthevillage;thesafetycategory,
•creationofamuralontheneglectedolddairybuilding;thecategoryofresidents’
mobilisation,
•other initiativesundertaken,amongothers,bythe “DolinaKacanki”(Kacanka
River Valley) Local Activity Association and the “PasjoDzielnia” Foundation.
Photograph 2.44. The sołectwo’s mural in Wiazownica-Kolonia designed by the residents (the
gure of the beaver makes an allusion to the village’s location by the river)
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
74
Photograph 2.45. The stage for various events
in Wiązownica-Kolonia (organised at the
PasjoDzielnia Foundation)
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.46. Cinema in the
cowshed located on the farm owned
by the Head of Wiązownica-Kolonia
and his wife
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.47. The relaxation zone in the cowshed in Wiązownica-Kolonia
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
752. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
Photograph 2.50. Start to change the world
in your locality – the motto of Wiązownica-
Kolonia residents
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.48. A 300-year-old forest
lighthouse located close to the old school in
Wiązownica-Kolonia – cultural heritage may
also constitute an element of a smart village
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.49. A classroom in the old
school in Wiązownica-Kolonia – this is where
workshops are held
Source: Łukasz Komorowski.
Photograph 2.51. Blog of the Head of
Wiązownica-Kolonia – information channel
for the residents
Source: screenshot of the website soltyswsi.pl.
76
Szubin is an urban-rural municipality located in the north-east part of Pałuki in
Kujawsko-Pomorskie province. e municipality of an area of . km is part of Na-
kielski county. It is inhabited by , people and the population density is persons
per km (as at end-). e municipality comprises thirty eight sołectwos. . of the
population is at working age, . at pre-working age and . – post-working age.
e in-depth study covered the smart village initiative identied in the village of
Niedźwiady, where the Astronomical, Cultural and Educational Centre was estab-
lished. is is a project implemented by Szubin municipality in the period -
in the framework of the Regional Operational Programme of Kujawsko-Pomorskie for
- (Priority Axis Community-Led Local Development). e total cost of the
investment is PLN ,,., including co-funding at the level of PLN ,,.
obtained by Szubin municipality.
anks to the establishment of the Astronomical, Cultural and Educational
Centre, projects of a social and economic nature will be implemented. is is the
largest amateur astronomical observatory in Poland (thanks to the use of the largest
Newtonian telescope on a parallactic mount, mm in diameter and , mm in
focal length), run by the “Local Group” Pałucko-Pomorskie Astronomical and Envi-
ronmental Association.
e projects will be primarily aimed at supporting students with special develop-
ment and educational needs during special recovery classes. e planned actions of
a social nature include the following:
•theproject“ClosertotheStars”YouthClub,underwhichitisplannedtounder-
take activities for children and youth (including those from families at risk of
poverty or social exclusion), aimed to increase educational levels,
Photograph 2.52. The Astronomical, Cultural
and Educational Centre in Niedźwiady
Source: Anna Rosa.
Photograph 2.53. The Astronomical, Cultural
and Educational Centre in Niedźwiady
Source: Anna Rosa.
772. In-depth study of smart villages in Poland – the concept of the field studies
•theproject“KeyCompetences–aWaytoSuccess”,underwhichitisplannedto
support students (from primary schools) in educational processes in order to
develop key competences (mathematics and natural sciences); activities aimed to
support the choice of sciences-oriented path of education.
e authors of the initiative believe that the implementation of the project will
contribute to the residents’ increased awareness and more positive attitude to taking
measures aimed at developing local entrepreneurship. Stimulation of local entrepre-
neurship will be achieved, among others, through actions supporting education and
awareness raising. Revitalisation-oriented measures will contribute to increasing resi-
dents’ competencies and vocational skills and to setting up and running new busi-
nesses by individuals.
Photograph 2.55. The Astronomical, Cultural and
Educational Centre in Niedźwiady
Source: Anna Rosa.
Photograph 2.56. The Astronomical, Cultural
and Educational Centre in Niedźwiady
Source: Anna Rosa.
Photograph 2.54. The Astronomical, Cultural and
Educational Centre in Niedźwiady
Source: Anna Rosa.
IN-DEPTH QUALITATIVE STUDIES
OF smart villages
– CONTEXTUALITY AND
INTERTWINING OF THE INITIATIVES
3.
3. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages –
contextuality and intertwining of the initiatives
3.1. Smart solutions in infrastructure and technology
e modern world presents a number of challenges. One of them is to try to
answer the question about what to do to make modern regions (villages), as well as
the communities that inhabit them, more sustainable. In order to answer the question,
it should be stressed that sustainability is inextricably linked with the Agenda
for Sustainable Development. It denes Sustainable Development Goals and
related targets, the implementation of which shall facilitate promotion of social well-
being (United Nations, ). Challenges related to the development of technologies,
including also communication and digital technologies, appear in nearly each of the
Goals. e word “technology” has been used times in the -page UN document,
which highlights the importance of these changes to the whole world.
Technological development is strongly related to building resilient infrastruc-
ture, promoting sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation, which are en-
shrined in Goal . Although infrastructural development is not strictly divided into
two polarised sets of framework – rural and urban ones (Zavratnik et al., ), it
seems that rural areas are – to a larger extent – forced to catch up in this eld. By
invoking an Indian example, Prajwala Srivatsa () points out that those two di-
mensions must develop simultaneously while taking account of interconnections and
interdependencies. is is an obvious conclusion, although it is not dicult to notice
that in rural areas, this infrastructure in many aspects does not go beyond the satis-
faction of essential needs – housing, technical infrastructure (supplies and sanitary
infrastructure), communication and transportation. us, it seems not to be surpri-
sing to think that it is worth increasing pressure on the development, both qualitative
and quantitative, of rural infrastructure, as it directly translates into the possibilities of
economic initiative development. At the same time the development of infrastructure
may be a decisive factor for the modernisation of agricultural production, develop-
ment of settlements and environmental protection (cf. Dolata, Łuczka-Bakuła, ;
Berkowska et al., ).
Although the Agenda does not make a division between rural and urban
infrastructure, there is one derogation from this rule, namely particular attention is paid
to rural infrastructure related to modern agriculture, development of technologies and
banks of genetic plant and farm animal resources, in order to increase productivity of
farms (the agricultural component is discussed in detail in Sub-section .). Attention
82
is also drawn to those elements in the Rural Development Programme - (RDP
-), where one of the priorities is dened as fostering transfer of knowledge
and innovation in rural areas. e Programme was designed to meet contemporary
challenges faced by today’s rural areas. EUR billion was appropriated for support,
enhancement and promotion of innovative and knowledge-based solutions to
promote farming and/or rural development within the period concerned. In addition,
conditions were created under the LEADER Programme to investigate local practices
based on smart solutions.
However, local authorities should not only be interested in state-of-the-art tech-
nologies related to agriculture. ey should also take into account those solutions
which facilitate the development of local communities. Investment in modern tech-
nologies and infrastructure bring positive eects despite their relatively huge costs.
No one needs to be convinced about the usefulness of a CCTV (Closed-Circuit Tele-
Vision) system or a trac management system in the city. Economic calculus is not
necessary if the data collected point to a signicant decrease in the number of crimes
or trac collisions and accidents (cf. Ilciów, a). Do only urban dwellers benet
from such solutions? e answer to this question seems to be obvious. Also in case
of rural investment one should ask some questions: are the benets of a smart-type
solution which exists in the village felt only by the residents of this village, or also by
the inhabitants of the whole region? A positive answer to this question may make
it easier to obtain funds for an initiative and facilitate co-funding of its actions in
the long-term. If a particular investment is to benet a broad group of recipients, the
creation of such a group really does make sense.
It is worthwhile to underline that within the smart village concept, investments
in infrastructure and technology are justied if they lead to the enhancement of the
quality of life. At the same time it must be noted that the development of infrastruc-
ture or technology may, as a consequence, foster the development of local business,
human capital, and lead to building civil society. e enhancement of the quality of
life combined with personal development opportunities for young people may signi-
cantly increase people’s willingness to stay and live in rural areas (cf. Matysiak, ;
Sroka et al., ).
A key assumption behind the concept of smart villages (as in the concept of
smart city) is that technological progress, if eectively integrated into other rural
development initiatives, may create new opportunities for increasing income,
providing services and reinforcing social potential, which signicantly improves
the quality of life in rural areas (van Gevelt, Holmes, ). Iwona Chomiak-Orsa
and Paulina Szurant () indicated that smart infrastructure in cities is treated as
solutions which increase the mobility of urban processes and it is focused on smart
transportation systems, digitalisation of public administration and advanced com-
munication technologies. However, in the case of rural areas, it seems justied to
complement those solutions with state-of-the-art technical and technological deve-
833. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
lopments, such as precision farming, digital platforms related to e-learning, e-health,
e-administration, economy based on biotechnology, heat recovery systems, renewable
energy, drones protecting remote elds against the or controlling losses in crops,
every day communication within the community, and also in external contacts. And
as far as transport is concerned – they should be complemented with solutions related
to sharing economy or original forms of mass transport (e.g. busses ordered by phone/
text message).
It has been mentioned that the idea of smart villages requires the use of modern
technologies. It does not mean, however, that it is a sine qua non condition. Very oen
technical solutions are replaced by the social aspect of innovation. At the same time,
it is not the case that the more innovative solutions are applied, the more legitimate
it is to dene a village as smart. e purpose of using technologies is to improve the
living conditions for the residents, and the selection of a particular solution must be
conditional on ensuring care for sustainable and durable development of localities
(Sikora-Fernandez, ; Ilciów, b; Goryńska-Goldmann, ). It is worth un-
derlining on this occasion that the technologies are a tool, and not a means in itself.
is is evidenced by the initiatives described in Sub-section .. It is important to
emphasise that while the implications of technology are used in the discourse about
smart communities, the technological and digital components of transformation are
not the only ones, much less the most important in specic cases.
e following initiatives have been classied as technological and infrastructural
solutions:
•theEntertainmentandSportsHallinRyczywół,whichusesenvironmentaland
energy ecient solutions,
•thebarbecuehutwithameteorologicalstationinŁuszczanów(Jarocinmunici-
pality),
•the proprietary system of crop irrigation based on rainwater and the passive
green-house in the Agricultural Production Cooperative “Ostoja Natury” in
Tomaszyn (Olszynek municipality), at the same time classied as agricultural
and environmental solutions (described in Sub-section .).
ere are various reasons behind the implementation of state-of-the-art techno-
logical solutions. One of them is a belief that residents of a small village deserve so-
lutions which are available in cities. In Ryczywół, one of the teachers said that the
construction of a new entertainment and sports hall was inspired by a feeling that “life
in rural areas could be a mark of quality rather than of shame”. e initiators noted
that in the beginning the prime motives for using state-of-the-art technologies in the
hall were those related to more favourable conditions for local youth and children
attending the school to which the hall is adjacent, and nally also improvement of
84
living conditions of the whole rural community. In the case of Łuszczanów, benecia-
ries of smart solutions were to be the students of the local school who were to use the
meteorological station to develop their own competences, and in the case of the rec-
reation and entertainment complex – the local community. According to the initiators
of the Ryczywół hall, although its rst purpose was to serve the children of the local
school, it nally became the recreation and sports facility for the village residents as
well as for the whole municipality. is is also attested by the residents, and – which is
very important – by the local authorities. In the case of the operations of the Agricul-
tural Production Cooperative “Ostoja Natury” in Tomaszyn, technological solutions
and advance cropping systems were the elements without which organic production
would be impossible. In addition, they accelerated business development.
One of the goals of developing various smart initiatives is the improvement of rural
living standards, which is usually achieved. According to the residents of Łuszczanów
as well as Ryczywół, the initiatives resulted in a range of leisure activities to choose
from. One of the Ryczywół residents explains that “at last I can do something here,
I can attend sports classes, which has not been so easy to nd for people at my age
earlier”, and she adds that she “has become a t lady at old age”. Another one says that
she does not need to go to Poznań to exercise. A Łuszczanów inhabitant is happy that
“so much is going on here that I do not need to spend time watching telly”. ose
statements show unequivocally that the initiatives are an important factor improving
the quality of life of those who decided to stay in rural areas. Unfortunately, there is
no feeling that the initiatives are encouraging enough for young people to stay in rural
areas or to return there aer completing their education. e projects delivered are
not a suciently strong argument for rural youth to come back to their home villages
and start their careers there aer graduating from tertiary schools located in cities.
One of the Ryczywół residents pointed out that two of his three children preferred to
stay in Poznań and pursue their careers there because “opportunities to get a good and
desired job are greater in a big city”. However, the pattern of thinking of the then big
city dwellers who initiated the “Ostoja Natury” Cooperative in Tomaszyn was entirely
dierent. ey found a new way of pursuing their careers and building their private
lives in the countryside, while producing organic food and developing the idea of
a cooperative. However, they conclude, “not everybody has to want to manage each
aspect of their lives in that way”.
e implementation of smart initiatives involves numerous problems. On the one
hand – the problem of funding investments, on the other – a need to persuade local
authorities as well as village/municipality residents that the initiative is important and
necessary. e situation of the Ryczywół entertainment and sports hall may illustrate
this. In this case the authorities did not need to be persuaded as the then head of the
853. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
municipality, Ms Renata Gembiak-Binkiewicz, was one of the initiators. However,
some municipal council members and some residents were quite sceptical. Word
spread that “the hall is too big, too expensive, maybe it is better to renovate the old
hall which was located next to the planned new one”.
e Ryczywół investment was supported with a preferential loan totalling PLN
. million from the Provincial Fund of Environmental Protection and Water
Management due to the application of environmentally friendly solutions. e hall
was equipped with a ground heat exchanger, a system fully recuperating heat from
used air, external blinds which react to the insolation level, a service water mixer
that optimises energy consumption, a . meter-thick layer of special polystyrene
preventing heat losses in winter and overheating in summer, a biomass-fuelled
heating system using the same quantity of pellet as needed to heat two small detached
houses, LED lighting. ere are a lot of such solutions in the hall, which clearly shows
the momentum but also the smart vision of the entire investment. e loan from
the Environmental Protection Fund was not the only support. An amount of PLN
. million was received from the Ministry of Sports and Tourism.
Obviously, not all the smart initiatives can boast such big support from central or
local budgets. e funding is usually limited and consists of residents’ private funds
(as in the case of the “Ostoja Natury” Cooperative in Tomaszyn or the Mniszek initia-
tives), municipal funds or a limited sołectwo fund. e initiators very oen sought
funding by participating in competitions or applying for grants. is was the case of
“Retrotting Recreational and Educational Infrastructure by the Pond in Łuszczanów”.
Nearly half (PLN ,) of the entire sum of money came from various competi-
tions, PLN , from the sołectwo fund and nearly PLN , from the municipal
budget. e possibility of testing and applying advanced technologies does not need
to be linked with signicant expenses e.g. for a new tractor, seed drill or plastic tunnel.
In the “Ostoja Natury” cooperative, a model of cooperation between the cooperative
and business was created which allows for mutual benets – the cooperative can use
state-of-the-art agricultural machinery or new technologies while the company which
makes its equipment available conducts tests, improves solutions or develops com-
pletely new ones and then markets them – “for these companies, this is very specic
knowledge [...]. We are an implementation and reference farm for them” – the initia-
tor says.
Although more limited funds were used for the Łuszczanów initiative, they also
involved the application of innovative technological solutions. Next to the hut,
a modern meteorological station was built, which monitors the environment and helps
take preventive actions in case of climate change or extreme weather change (parame-
ters measured: air temperature and humidity, pressure, precipitation, wind speed and
direction, UV radiation and solar radiation, water temperature, ground temperature).
e meteorological station is undoubtedly a novel, original and individual element,
taking account of the public space in rural areas. Automatic measurements provide
86
access to environmental monitoring results for all the residents of the sołectwo by
means of an internet link. e barbecue hut, in turn, is an element of infrastructure
designed by contrast to the station – from traditional materials – thanks to which the
area by the pond can be used all year round regardless of weather conditions. e
hut is equipped with such innovative solutions as LED lighting and the electricity
system powered by a photovoltaic module. A hybrid lamp is also a novel element. e
lamp, as other infrastructure elements by the pond, is powered by renewable energy
sources which, in addition to its nancial importance, also has an educational value as
it promotes the use of renewable energy sources in multiple applications.
It is worth pondering the sustainability of the initiatives implemented. A question
arises: which of them stands the highest chance of achieving it? In case of infrastruc-
tural and technological solutions there doubtlessly is sustainability, however, in case
of social initiatives it can be dicult to dene which of them will be sustainable and
which will last only for a short period of time. is is because there is no one deni-
tion of initiative sustainability. It could be said that sustainable initiatives are those
the eects of which are visible not only during the initiative implementation, but also
aer it has ended. However, indicating the period provided in the EU projects seems
to be unnecessary.
e sustainability of the projects implemented depends on many factors. One of
them is whether the authorities are keen on maintaining its results. Authorities of all
the localities notice advantages of the newly-established technological solutions but
they also express doubts as to their maintenance in the future due to limited budgets.
Introduction of expensive technologies in small localities is also criticised by some
inhabitants. e biggest risk perceived by the respondents is the cost of infrastructure
maintenance: “In general, a disadvantage of everything you build under civic initia-
tives is that it has to be maintained. e cost of repair is twice as big as the whole
sołectwo budget”; this could be heard in one of the villages surveyed. e criticism
results from limited funds as well as from fears of overinvesting. However, in the long-
term, costly solutions may turn out to be capital saving. Investing in the recuperation
system, as was the case in Ryczywół, helps decrease the heating costs (comparable
with the cost of heating two houses). e students and their teacher we met pointed
to the fact that there was little sense in providing many interesting solutions because
there was no manager who could handle them.
With reference to Figure .. in Section it should not be forgotten that smart in-
frastructure is not only advanced technologies or complex systems, but rst of all it is
access to elementary tools such as a mobile phone network and internet connection.
During the eld studies it turned out paradoxically that smart solutions were identi-
ed in several localities where access to those networks is quite limited: “e obstacle
873. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
is that we do not have an optical bre cable. [...] Here there is a cell tower which is
our principal connection to the world”. At the beginning of the section it has been
mentioned that new technologies are not the overriding element of the smart village
concept. However, in this case, a lack of them is a major constraint to enhancement of
the quality of life, provision of online services, communicating, i.e. the other elements
deemed key for the concept. It should be stressed, however, that poor quality internet
connection and weaker digital networks have also become a driver for greater creati-
vity in social activities.
It is worth paying attention to the importance of optimisation of available and new
resources in the context of possible investment (cf. Sikora-Fernandez, ). eir
identication and appropriate management are essential for creating conditions for
enhancing the quality of life of local communities while assuring the economic de-
velopment of a given region (cf. Kozera-Kowalska, Kalinowski, ; cf. Lorentowicz
et al., ; Pominek, ). Ricky W. Grin () identies four types of resources:
human, nancial, material and information. An appropriate combination thereof is es-
sential for rural development and pursuing smart solutions. It would be a cliche to say
that – as every organisation of human beings – a municipality or a locality has certain
resources. However, without appropriate identication thereof it is dicult to seek so-
lutions in which a given village (locality) could have a comparative advantage. In the
case of smart villages, each resource represents certain features (Komorowski, ):
•human resources – skills, know-how, competences, willingness to engage and
predispositions of all rural residents and individuals potentially engaged in the
development of the smart village concept,
•nancial resources – funds which are used by alocal community to nance
various actions, including inter alia the sołectwo budget, grants, subsidies, any
other external resources obtained,
•materialresources–tangibleresourcesincludingbuildings,premises,anyequip-
ment that can be used for rural purposes,
•informationresources–anyusabledataneededforaneectivedecision-making
process, e.g. a group of residents on a social medium, an external advisor.
Key assets in each of the four categories were identied in the places surveyed,
broken down into sub-categories (Figure ..)
e interviews with the study participants show that mobilising each type of
resource requires a dierent action. Human resources are the most dicult to mobilise
but they are essential for any action. However, with every subsequent initiative in
which residents and other stakeholders were involved, this resource became more
and more consolidated and sustainable. It greatly facilitated the management of other
resources, i.e. nancial (acquisition of specialised knowledge, experience), material
88
Head of sołectwo,
sołectwo council,
NGO, residents
Advisors,
municipality
administration
employees,
local authorities,
guests
Competitions
for grants, RDP,
central
government
funds,
crowdfunding
Village meeting,
Facebook,
text database,
festivals
Lighting system,
RES, recreation
equipment,
gazebo
Community centre,
roads,
public areas,
fibre optics,
land amelioration
sołectwo Fund,
local government
subsidies
websites,
Facebook,
YouTube
Residents Infrastructure EquipmentOther
stakeholders
Local
budget
Internal
communication
External
resources
External
communication
HUMAN FINANCIAL MATERIAL INFORMATION
SMART VILLAGE RESOURCES
Figure 3.1. Smart village resources
Source: own work.
893. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
(purchase of pieces of equipment, better management of infrastructure, better techni-
cal facilities for new initiatives), information (an increasingly wide group of reci pients,
acceptance of new forms of communication, better visibility within the region).
e importance of human resources was stressed by the initiators in Łuszczanów.
ey recorded in detail a specic number of hours invested by particular indivi-
duals. ey noted that twelve people were engaged in preparing the area for the hut
assembly and the assembly as such. e number of man-hours needed to do the work
amounted to . Work with the use of equipment for the assembly of the wooden
structure, ground levelling and transportation of earth took sta-hours.
Moreover, in the sołectwo residents participated in the project implementa-
tion by making excavations and preparing point foundations, assembling a wooden
bridge and wooden landscaping elements (toilets, benches, bins) as well as making
an excavation and placing the prefabricated sceptic tank for domestic sewage. Twelve
people worked on the adjustment of the ground for assembly and assembly itself.
e number of man-hours needed for the works done was . Additionally, it took
man-hours to carry out works with the use of equipment. Voluntary work of
the residents (including the cost of the equipment use) was assessed at nearly PLN
, (almost one fourth of the whole budget). Obviously, none of those working
received this money, which shows the degree of local community engagement. One
can wonder why there were so few people engaged. Relatively low engagement levels
of inhabitants is noted by the initiators of other actions. One of them notices, however,
that “although there are not many helpers, you can always count on a certain group
of people. ey will give you a hand even with the most bizarre action, regardless of
whether it is cold and rainy or the sun shines and you’d rather sunbathe”. It shows that
the engagement of even a small group is vital for the success of an undertaking.
e residents of particular localities also point out that they are not sucien-
tly engaged in local actions. One of the Ryczywół inhabitants said that he had been
unable to participate in initiative planning, but added that “people want to act and
someone has to make it possible for them”. Another Ryczywół resident argued that
the initiators “forget about us at every stage”, adding that “the construction of the hall
gave an impulse for greater sports activity among the villagers”. One of the neigh-
bouring village dwellers did not hear about the Łuszczanów initiative, however, when
persuaded to visit the site, she called back aer several days to say that she “wishes
she were able to participate because it is a very interesting proposal and other villages
should learn how to do the right thing in their locality”. is is a clear signal for other
initiators to engage the residents. However, how can their engagement be increased?
And how can they be encouraged to take action? It is possible that the willingness to
be engaged is only declarative, but greater engagement is a guarantee of enhancing the
quality of life in the village, looking for new ideas, and above all – of the integration of
the local community. It is worth mentioning that among the residents we met, regard-
less of the village, there were also those who did not feel the need to increase their own
90
activity for the benet of local initiatives, justifying it with the lack of time or shiing
the responsibility onto others.
Although the human factor is of primary importance in all types of initiatives (cf.
Pomianek, Kowalczyk, ; Wojciechowska-Solis, Soroka, ; Kamiński, Leśniak,
), in case of capital-intensive big infrastructural projects it is the capital accumulat-
ed which constitutes a vital part of the resources. It conditions the scope of works to be
funded. Without external support, including subsidies from business entities, indivi-
duals as well as from the state, the implementation of the projects would be impossible.
is is acknowledged by the initiators of the projects discussed. How signicant those
nancial amounts can be is noted by Dr Paweł Grabowski – the initiator of the day-care
Prophet Elijah Hospice which provides -hour palliative care for the terminally ill. He
points out that the whole investment requires a minimum of PLN million.
Human and nancial capital is complemented by material capital, which was avai-
lable to Ryczywół as well as Łuszczanów. Good cooperation with the managers of
the areas in which the initiatives were launched enabled the development of projects
without additional nancial burden.
3.2. Smart solutions in the social sphere
As has already been mentioned, although modern technologies are very impor-
tant in the discourse on smart solutions, they are a tool for enhancing the quality
of life rather than a goal in themselves. Digital technologies and social innovation
have an impact on the life of an individual, a family and entire local communities.
ey support the enhancement of the quality of life and they improve access to public
services provided for the community and, as Fabrizio Barca () puts it, they inu-
ence better use of territorial resources. One cannot disagree with that – smart solu-
tions using those technologies undoubtedly facilitate the lives of local communities
by oering e.g. e-services, e-health, transport, e-administration, rural tourism based
on smart solutions. In order, however, to be able to make use of these solutions, it is
necessary for rural inhabitants to acquire new competences and knowledge. is will
enable meeting new challenges faced by digital societies.
In practice it has turned out that in order to ensure residents a better living space,
it is necessary to apply modern technologies. Some villages still lack basic infrastruc-
ture (roads, sewage system), a reliable power grid, school or access to a doctor, or
– which seems to be indispensable – adequate quality of the internet connection. In
their case the challenges of enhancing quality of life can be met by actions and initia-
tives of a social character. us, what type of smart services can prevent e.g. commu-
nication exclusion? Specic geographic conditions, nancial and natural resources as
well as the socio-cultural structure have immense inuence on smart initiatives which
913. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
can be undertaken in a given area. is is why the term ‘smart villages’ does not have
a universal meaning in the social context. Diculties encountered by particular com-
munities are dierent, as are the problems they have to address. e concept of smart
villages does not oer universal solutions in the social context, and the meaning of
‘smart’ in this context is broader and does not include digital technologies only.
In smart solutions in rural areas, social capital, which plays a key role as a creator
(initiator) of ongoing changes in rural development, is of particular importance. In
the literature we can nd the opinion that the accumulation of social and human
capital and good infrastructure inuences the innovative character of the economy.
Social capital – as opposed to human capital – is a public good, has a collective
nature and forms the basis of civil society, characterised by its members’ self-con-
sciousness of community needs and the pursuit of the satisfaction thereof. A high
level of social capital results in taking joint actions in order to improve the com-
munity’s living conditions, which in the economic dimension translates into easier
negotiations, lower transaction costs, spread of knowledge and the development of
civil institutions (the third sector) in the context of controlling public authorities. It
also fosters long-term investment (Fukuyama, ; Fukuyama, ). It can be con-
cluded that investment in skills and competencies will result in an improvement of
the quality of human capital in rural areas, and as a result, in the long term, will foster
development of these rural aeras through the emergence of new ideas and initiatives.
It can be assumed, in accordance with Robert Putnam et al. (), that improving the
quality of social capital fosters greater eciency of local communities by facilitating
co ordination of actions. At the same time it enables achievement of certain goals
which cannot be pursued without its participation. Putnam came to the conclusion
that “any group of people that places extensive trust in one another accomplishes much
more than a comparable group lacking that trust and trustworthiness”. By giving an
example of farmers he points out that where “the farmer is helped by others to stack
hay and where tools are commonly borrowed, social capital allows each farmer to do
his work with less physical capital in the form of tools and equipment”. is shows an
important position of the leader within a local community who – if trusted by the vil-
lagers – can be the basic factor behind initiating actions (cf. Bourdieu, ).
According to Antoni Kukliński (), social capital extends the ability to pursue
collective actions for the achievement of mutual benets, it is a key element of creating,
diusing and transforming knowledge and it is particularly important for regional
development (it is vital for innovation and competitiveness). Human capital, in turn,
decides about the development potential of society and the economy and contributes
to social well-being (Jakubowska, Rosa, ), which ts ideally into the concept of
smart villages.
1
Both concepts are present in academic and social debates. e term ‘social capital’ is used by
sociologists and policy experts, while “human capital” is more oen used by economists.
92
“Human capital” is a well-known term, which is oen used in public debate
especially by politicians who want to underline the relationship between develo-
ping and spreading new knowledge and keeping a high level of social development
(Hartog, Maasen van den Brink, ). As underlined by James Heckman (),
a Nobel Prize winner in economics in , the “new economy is based on quali-
cations and skills [...]. We know that proper use of new technologies requires a high
level of qualications. ose qualications is human capital which brings invalu-
able benets [...]. e bigger human capital, the easier it is for workers to adjust to
changes, to acquire new knowledge and to think creatively. Not only individuals can
benet from human capital, but also whole societies”. Also with regard to a local
community, those words will not be cliches – a higher level of human capital de-
velopment will foster greater mobilisation, looking for creative solutions, and rst
and foremost – creating actions aimed to improve the living conditions of local
communities.
e condition for high quality and value of human capital is the ability to use it
eectively (Michalczyk, Musioł, ; Kotarski, ). A lack of practical application
of knowledge and skills possessed by a given individual, as well as a passive attitude
and lack of involvement in social issues lower its quality. Especially in this time of glo-
balisation and of a knowledge-based economy, a major role in implementing smart
solutions in rural areas in the social sphere is played by institutions, but rst of by all
the local leaders who can mobilise people in the community to take action that aects
their quality of life. Such actions include:
•aninnovativeprojectofaruralhomehospice(incollaborationwithfamilyand
relatives) operating in the area of ve municipalities and two counties of Pod-
laskie province (Narew, Narewka, Michałowo, Gródek, Zabłudów),
•theAstronomical,CulturalandEducationalCentreinNiedźwiady(Szubinmu-
nicipality),
•aneducationalworkshopforchildreninRzeczenica,
•anenvironmentallyfriendly“Bookworm’sBench”inRzeczenicaandanopen-air
library in an antique telephone booth in Piaseczna Górka (as a promotion of the
bookcrossing idea),
•initiativesimplementedinMniszek,Dragaczmunicipality(integrationandedu-
cation),
•culturalprojectscarriedoutatPlecionkaAssociationinMagnuszewmunicipa-
lity (i.a. artistic workshop for youth, lm production, other creative activities),
•creationof amural (withstrongparticipationoftheresidentsofWiązownica-
Kolonia) on a neglected building of the old dairy in Staszów municipality,
•aninformationandconsultationblogrunbytheheadofWiązownica-Kolonia;
database of residents’ mobile phone numbers to contact them by text messages;
other initiatives related to communication with the inhabitants (e.g. in Piaseczna
Górka, Morawica municipality, Mniszek municipality).
933. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
As noted by one of the initiators of the aforementioned projects, “the multidi-
mensionality of the smart village idea gives ample room for its application, espe-
cially in rural areas”. Many villages implement technological solutions on a greater
or smaller scale, which in the social context are oen related to education and work-
shops for children and adults alike. is can be illustrated with the example of the
construction of infrastructure for observing the sky at the Niedźwiady Astronomical,
Cultural and Educational Centre (Szubin municipality). is is the biggest amateur
astronomical observatory in Poland, run by the “Local Group” Pałucko-Pomorskie
Astronomical and Environmental Association. e actions prepared by the Centre
focus primarily on increasing educational levels by implementing projects focused
on supporting students with special developmental and educational needs in the
framework of specialised or remedial classes. e local leader from another village
noted during an interview that she always “cared for the residents acquiring new
skills, receiving training and getting to know their value, to be inspired by examples
and good practices from all across Poland, and to be able to use the acquired skills
in practice as well as to improve the quality of life in rural areas”. Her intention
was to improve the competences of rural inhabitants and although new technology
was not used in all the projects implemented, all of the projects were smart, in the
inhabitants’ view.
In another municipality, smart solutions in the social context included the
workshop in mechatronics for primary school students of sixth to eighth grades and
an environmentally friendly “Bookworm’s Bench” which, in the initiators’ opinion,
is a cultural element that integrates the local community. It will also be innovative
because there is a plan to develop an app for borrowing books (to be designed espe-
cially for that municipality).
ere are areas in Poland where actions taken by the residents are identied as
smart although they do not make use of new technologies. Can we regard as smart
such initiatives for local communities, which aim at ensuring the best possible living
space but do not make use of advanced IT or telecommunications solutions? e
analysis of information gathered during the interviews shows that such initiatives
are most oen related to people. ey include e.g. workshops or providing palliative
care for chronically and terminally ill patients. In the opinion of the authors of this
publication, a number of social initiatives deserve to be called smart despite their
not making use, or making little use, of digital and communication technologies.
e project of the Prophet Elijah Hospice Foundation is such a smart initiative. It
is unique in Poland and in Polish rural areas. Medical sta of the Foundation help
in nursing patients at home. A doctor visits a patient on average twice a month, and
a nurse – twice a week. A physiotherapist, a psychologist or nutritionist visit patients as
ne cessary. According to the initiators: “We provide customised care – we have a team
of qualied caregivers, who can drive a car and who visit patients or help patients’
families provide h nursing care. If patients have no family to care for them, the
94
caregivers help patients in everyday care and life. Sometimes they simply have a brief
conversation with a lonely patient.”
Although the Hospice project lacks digital and communication solutions, social
innovation can be seen there. A new concept of treating and supporting terminally
ill patients ts into the denition by Terry Flew et al. () or James A. Phills et al.
(). e solutions used to solve a social problem – in this case providing direct
support to the terminally ill and indirect support to their families – contributes to
ensuring sustainable social value, the benets of which are enjoyed not only by the
patients themselves, but also by the local community. In the case of the Hospice, the
solutions applied are more ecient and durable, and according to the sta – also more
equitable. One of the nurses says that “such a solution works in ”. anks to the
Hospice “we have overcome a transport constraint and patients have better access to
healthcare”, adds another respondent. e scale of collaboration with the local social
welfare centre is also innovative, which is stressed by the managers of the centres at
Narewka and Michałowo.
e residents of one of the small villages stressed, when interviewed, that a “smart
village means a more conscious village” and that they had “the power and determination
to become a smart village only thanks to their own strength, skills and know ledge”.
From that point of view investing in human capital seems to be a good solution which
will bring benets in the future. One of the leaders of the villages surveyed underlined
that aspect, saying that “a smart village is a village of cooperation”; another leader added
that “it is a village which is wise with the wisdom of generations”. Due to the lack of
trust and the fact that the residents lock themselves up at home and are not very much
involved in social aairs, in many cases it is not easy to achieve c ooperation. Although
some respondents had never heard the term ‘smart village’ before, some of them could
intuitively say what it might mean. For example, the head of one municipality said that
such a village “will be exceptional in a sense, it will be developing and participating in
electronic and media evolution, it will promote itself better and it will reach people not
only directly but also through electronic media”. However, it is worth remembering to
adapt information channels to a given environment, i.e. to reach the residents (most
oen the elderly) in a traditional, analogue way, which was noticed by the initiator from
Staszów municipality, who was simultaneously running a few information channels,
namely a blog and a Facebook fan page on the internet, sending texts by phone as well
as distributing information on paper leaets.
As the problems faced by the local communities were dierent, so were the reasons
behind the projects implemented in the social context. e analysis of information
gathered from the interviews shows that the main reason for taking action was to
align the standard of living of rural residents with that of urban dwellers. Moreover,
953. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
most projects were the consequence of the needs communicated by the residents.
Before starting the project, an analysis of the resources available to the municipality
was carried out.
e reason behind the Prophet Elijah Hospice was the mission (helping people at the
end of their lives) of the chief initiator, Dr Paweł Grabowski. He moved from Warsaw
to the east of Poland with a feeling that it was worth doing something for other people.
In the beginning the Foundation was called the Podlaskie Cancer Hospice Foundation.
e Foundation was based in Nowa Wola near Michałowo. From the very beginning
() the Hospice has been operating on a non-for-prot basis. e organisation takes
care of adults and, as pointed out by one nurse: “members of our medical team – doctors,
nurses, physiotherapists, a psychologist, nutritionist and caregivers support families in
nursing the patients. We educate them and provide advice so that the persons who take
care of their loved ones in the last stage of life know how to face new reality”. e feeling
that the system oering specialised hospice and palliative care in rural areas is insu-
cient reinforced the will of a wider circle of people to engage in the project.
In turn, the purpose of the actions taken in Mniszek was to integrate the residents,
to mobilise adults and initiate inter-generational cooperation. ey were addressed
primarily to rural inhabitants, to show them “the light in the tunnel”. e initiators
underlined that they wanted to “show not only the world seen through a keyhole,
limited to narrow surroundings”. e following activities, inter alia, were carried out:
aworkshop aimed at preventing digital exclusion of the 50+ generation, “Grand-
parents to Grandchildren – History that Surrounds Us”, “I am from Kociewie”, inclu-
ding the Cultural Ethno Design Ferment – the use of folklore in decorative arts and
designing clothes, “Our Unknown Neighbours” – workshops during which young
people learn new skills from their neighbours. A similar situation was observed with
regard to cultural actions in Magnuszew municipality, targeted primarily to youth.
e projects directly respond to the challenges of ageing villages and can provide
ideas for improving social cohesion for other municipalities.
e initiators of actions in Rzeczenica based their idea for municipal development
on the use of art and state-of-the-art technologies. eir intention was to facilitate life
in the village “by making it a modern place”, while retaining the unique charm and
atmosphere of the locality, where “one can nd zones free from network coverage and
be ‘in life’, and not only ‘online’”. In this case, the initiators diagnosed that the munici-
pality was full of skilful children with great potential, who were forgotten. An idea
was conceived of a workshop during which children work on Arduino Uno sets while
preparing smart elements.
e idea behind establishing the Astronomical, Cultural and Educational Centre
in Niedźwiady was to implement social and economic projects. e undertaking
contributed to raising awareness of the residents and mobilising them to take actions
which inuence growth of local entrepreneurship. e problems diagnosed within
the municipality led to planning the implementation of the following social projects:
96
1.YouthClub,“ClosertotheStars”,whichinvolvesactivitiesforchildrenandyouth
(including those from families at risk of poverty or social exclusion), designed
to increase educational levels; the solutions will be implemented by conducting
classes and workshops aimed at developing hobbies related to science (physics,
astronomy); the project is under implementation,
. “Key Competences – a Way to Success” – action supporting the choice of sciences-
oriented path of education.
During the meetings the initiators paid attention to the complicated procedures for
obtaining funds from EU projects, which sometimes discourage them from applying
for those funds.
In the case of the initiatives examined in the social context, it should be underlined
that almost all of them started from diagnosing the needs. Chances for success of the
initiatives were considered at later stages, followed by seeking funding. Not all plans
could be implemented – the pandemic and the lockdown restrictions halted some of
them.
Very oen projects were implemented ‘in small steps’ in cooperation with volunteers.
In the case of Mniszek and Magnuszew each subsequent project was the continuation
of the previous one. ere were cases of money being raised among residents. Examples
from Mniszek (including the Facebook fan page) and Wiązownica-Kolonia (where
a mural was painted, where the head of the village writes a blog, and where a number of
social, cultural and educational events take place) show that a wise leader is key to the
success of the undertakings, although, as was repeatedly emphasised in many localities,
“the head of the village can do as much as the village will help him to do”.
e establishment of the Prophet Elijah Hospice in Michałowo municipality
was the consequence of changes in the career of the initiator who initially moved
from Kraków to Warsaw, and then was looking for “white spaces” where there were
no hospices and where such support was really necessary. e feeling that “people
are more important than procedures” made him nd great courage for his actions.
Although the initiator mentioned that “at the beginning it was a knee-deep stroll in
concrete”, he knew that this work was important. Positive eects of the actions to
date contributed to conceiving another idea – a hospice building which has been
under construction for several years now, and which will serve more ill and dying
people in the future. As the initiator points out: “in the building there will be room
for having family dinner together, prepared by other people in the room next door,
so that everybody can sit at one table just as they used to do in the past”. In addition
to the focus on close relations among patients and sta, the building will also have
a room with hydro-massage, a rehabilitation room, therapeutic rooms and meeting
rooms.
973. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
An important role in all these projects is played by not only the initiators them-
selves but also (and perhaps rst of all) by the local governments and local authori-
ties. eir role is to enable the use of rural inhabitants’ potential, a good example of
which is the Astronomical, Cultural and Educational Centre and the support from
the municipality to the Art Corner Foundation (for measures taken by it). e Centre
is organised in the former primary school building (the school ceased its activity in
), located far away from other houses. Astronomy enthusiasts, appreciating the
location of the building (far away from village lights and characterised by relatively
low annual rainfall), applied to Szubin’s municipal authorities for the transfer of the
building and part of the surrounding area to set up a permanent observatory facility
there. e project involved alteration of the building and, to a limited extent, exten-
sion of its upper part in order to adjust it to the needs of its users as well as to current
technical and building regulations. e scope of the project included:
a) construction works – demolition works, building walls and doing concrete works,
b) renovation of the roof,
c) replacement of window and door frames,
d) renovation of the facade,
e) sanitary engineering and electricity works.
anks to the favourable approach of the municipal authorities, the old school
building was refurbished and the necessary equipment was purchased, which made
this place nice and cosy. Also in Magnuszew municipality, in the locality of Przewóz
Tarnowski, a community centre renovated and newly equipped (by its users with e.g.
a huge TV set, PlayStation), encourages youth to take part in various activities.
Establishing the local community identity is very important especially at the time
of the internet, when people remain locked up in their houses, oen situated far away
from one another in rural areas. e initiatives implemented in the social context were
integrative, cultural and educational in nature. ey also inuenced improvement of
the competencies of people who took part in them and contributed to mobilising the
residents to do things together. Since the local leaders realise the importance of col-
laboration for the local community, some of the actions were aimed at integration.
It can dier in character, e.g. formal, training, leisure. e leaders oen make use of
solutions that combine work and knowledge with fun (e.g. while painting the mural
in Wiązownica-Kolonia, which was done by many people). Sometimes it can be done
with little funds, but with a huge motivation for action. It is also dicult to unequivo-
cally dene a degree of residents’ engagement in actions taken in the village because the
engagement depends of the character of initiatives. However, as underlined by some
initiators, there is a well-established group of people who are very willing to participate
in the preparation and then implementation of the initiative. Another initiator added
98
that the aim was to “reach people who want to develop, who want to do something in
their leisure time, and there are more and more such people”. It is not always easy to
gather people around an idea or vision to be implemented (usually) by a narrow group
of initiators. It was noticed by one of the inhabitants of Staszów municipality who ex-
plained that even if they supported some idea, it was oen up to the moment when
something must be done. Aerwards, only a certain permanent group of people was
engaged. It is best described by the initiator from that municipality who – aer sending
a text message to residents inviting them to, e.g. the festival commemorating the
locality’s th anniversary, and asking them for support in various activities – always
got responses from the same group of people. e initiator sees the reasons for that
in the anonymity of this type of contact (a text message does not inuence people’s
behaviours as much as personal contact when it is harder to refuse to do something).
ere is a strong feeling in the Prophet Elijah Hospice that “as a small unit located
far away in a peripheral area we are too weak to be heard (though it sometimes
happens), but especially to be heard as the voice of people who themselves are not
able to demand their rights or organise spectacular protests. ese are terminally ill
people, dependent ones, living in remote villages far away from small and large urban
centres”. At the same time the initiators point to the fact that, for the time being, they
do not have inuence on the amendment of the law aimed at enabling the ill better
access to professional care at the end of their lives. ey add that because of that “we
have decided to change the reality that is closest to us – by implementing and testing
innovations at our hospice, in order to provide a new model of a hospice in a rural
area. And we have succeeded – it is less costly and more eective”.
Can we take it for granted that the social solutions are sustainable? It seems that as
they lead to the enhancement of the quality of life, foster a greater sense of empower-
ment or enable the local community to acquire new competencies and skills, it can be
said they really are sustainable.
Human, physical and nancial resources were necessary to implement the Astro-
nomical, Cultural and Educational Centre initiative. e resources were obtained
by submitting the project, which was carried out under the Regional Operational
Programme of Kujawsko-Pomorskie province for the period - (Priority
Axis Community-Led Local Development). e entire cost of project implementa-
tion was PLN ,,., of which the co-funding obtained by Szubin municipality
amounted to PLN ,,.. In this case, a key resource is also the unique know-
ledge of the members of Pałucko-Pomorskie Astronomical and Environmental Asso-
ciation, “Local Group”, in Niedźwiady. e Association organises National Meetings
of Astronomy Enthusiasts (OZMA) at which it shares its knowledge. Moreover, it
has the biggest telescope on parallactic mount in Poland ( mm in diameter and
993. In-depth qualitative studies of smart villages – contextuality and intertwining…
mm in focal length). anks to the telescope, celestial objects thousands of light
years distant from the Earth may be observed. e observatory is also equipped with
telescopes with a diameter of mm and mm as well as devices enabling the
observation of the sun.
As pointed out by the Head of Wiązownica-Kolonia, based on the projects engaging
people in actions (e.g. designing the mural), it is very important, rst, to know your
village resources and, second, to appreciate every help from the residents. It should
be manifested by a rhetoric used within information channels (“this is our collective
idea” instead of “this is my idea”) or ocial thanks to particular individuals expressed
in public (motivation to further actions for them and for other people).
In the case of the Art Corner Foundation two hobbyists combined forces and en-
gagement to conceive an idea of municipal development through the use of art and
new technologies. In order to carry out the actions planned, the initiators needed
funds as well as human resources, i.e. their own knowledge. anks to good coopera-
tion with the head of the municipality they received not only the necessary funds and
materials (wood to construct the “Bookworm’s Bench”) but also the area by the lake
where they conduct open-air classes for children. Sometimes they nance their ideas
on their own (e.g. an app for borrowing books), and sometimes they raise funds by
participating in various competitions.
e importance of human resources, and especially the sense of mission, can be
best observed on the example of the home hospice’s activity. is is acknowledged by
the Foundation’s motto: “Out of Respect for Life”. A lack of necessary funds somehow
prompted smart developments in the social area. It was necessary to use the resources
to the maximum, so that the eects would be satisfactory. e respondents point out
that “now people from other regions of Poland are asking us how we have done that,
we have become the forerunners of such solutions”. e Hospice sta underline the
signicance of a good atmosphere within the team. Besides, the Hospice activity also
shows how important nancial support is for particular actions. Although the initia-
tive generates lower costs than operations carried out in a dedicated building, funds
are necessary to maintain oce space, a storage room for equipment (to be lent to the
ill), or for fuel. ose funds are partially obtained by donations from people of good
will, but also from the National Health Fund.
e initiatives under the project: “Don’t chatter, just do it. Rural actions – urban
inspirations” show the actions of the head of the village who rst diagnosed the local
potential, looked for collaborators to collectively identify its important elements, in-
cluding historical ones, to use them later in the educational process. As the leaders
emphasise, the rst thing done by the residents was “a journey into the past and the
establishment of a database of the resources we have”. e resources included:
•lo cation (in the forest in the area of the Complex of Landscape Parks by the
Lower Vistula River, where investment sites are located, close to the A and S
highways; at a distance of km from the towns of Świecie and Grudziądz),
100
•naturalresources(streams,rivers,forests),
•historicalheritage,
•culturalheritage,
•residents’potentialandskills.
Funds for project implementation were collected from very dierent sources. e
main objective was to obtain external funding and to take part in competitions for
grants in order to “make the village vibrant and thriving and to live better”. External
sources of funding the project included inter alia: the Rural Development Founda-
tion, the Marshall’s Oce, the Civic Initiatives Fund, the BGK Bank Foundation.
anks to the determination in obtaining external funds and carrying out actions,
it was possible to implement subsequent initiatives. According to the leaders “what
we achieved within eight years was possible thanks to the engagement and incredible
activity of the residents”.
In the case of the projects analysed, fun