The final report of the Pilot Project on Smart eco-social villages, initiated by the European Parliament, is now available. The Pilot Project identified many examples of villages currently engaged in initiatives to address challenges or improve the quality of life of inhabitants.
The conclusions of the Pilot Project are important for the future use of the Smart Village concept in the EU. The Pilot Project identified many examples of villages currently engaged in initiatives to address challenges or improve the quality of life of inhabitants, formulating innovative, Smart solutions that cover a wide range of thematic areas, including agriculture, environment, energy, mobility, health, education, culture or tourism. Despite the diversity of situations, many Smart Villages share common features which are reflected in the proposed definition, such as the importance of citizen participation, an adequate governance and the use of an ‘anchor’ project in steering the strategy towards a specific objective.
