Smart village as a direction for rural development

Abstract

Smart villages are an approach to the local development of a village that reflects the contemporary dynamics and direction of development processes as well as the challenges of civilization. It originates not only from observing the processes taking place in the countryside but from "smart" ideas that are widely advertised, for example in the concept of smart development. In Poland, saturation with internet access services is lower in rural areas than in cities. However, the information transmission network is being expanded all the time. Yet, the development of technology alone is not enough to develop smart areas. The concept of smart villages refers to rural areas and communities. This concept must also include regional and local specificities to a large extent. In smart villages, traditional and new networks and services are strengthened by means of digital technologies, telecommunications, innovation and better use of knowledge, for the benefit of residents and enterprises. The objectives of the presented article are: presentation of areas that have an impact on the development of smart villages, an indication of the directions of rural development. The article presents the following research hypothesis increasing the awareness of rural residents will be conducive to the development of the smart village concept.