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Prelims

Smart Villages in the EU and Beyond

ISBN: 978-1-78769-846-8, eISBN: 978-1-78769-845-1

Publication date: 3 June 2019

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(2019), "Prelims", Visvizi, A., Lytras, M.D. and Mudri, G. (Ed.) Smart Villages in the EU and Beyond (Emerald Studies in Politics and Technology), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-xix. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78769-845-120191017

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019 Editorial matter and selection Anna Visvizi, Miltiadis D. Lytras and György Mudri, published under exclusive licence. Individual chapters the respective Authors

Half Title Page

Smart Villages in the EU and Beyond

Series Page

Emerald Studies in Politics and Technology

Series Editors: Anna Visvizi and Miltiadis D. Lytras

This series focuses broadly on the intersection of politics and technology. Its objective is to identify and explore the critical junctions where politics and information and communication technology (ICT) intersect to showcase the opportunities, raise awareness, and preempt impending risks for our societies.

The series has a broad scope and addresses a variety of topics, including but not limited to the following: cyber-intelligence; government analytics; user-generated data and its impact on human society; technology in healthcare and public services; quantitative measures in political discourse; public engagement with politics through technology – for example, blogs, social media; freedom of the internet; text mining; e-participation in politics and digital diplomacy; international trade on the ICT market; information security risks; political communication in online social networks; big data; e-government and e-democracy; digital activism; ICT in developing nations; digital media; smart cities; disruptive effects of technology in politics; internet governance; citizen journalism; the politics of migration and ICT; and the European Union and ICT.

We are actively seeking proposals for this exciting new series – please contact the editors if you are interested in publishing in this series.

Interested in publishing in this series? Please contact Anna Visvizi and Miltiadis D. Lytras, avisvizi@acg.edu and mlytras@acg.edu.

Title Page

Smart Villages in the EU and Beyond

EDITED BY

Anna Visvizi

Deree College – The American College of Greece

Miltiadis D. Lytras

Deree College – The American College of Greece

György Mudri

European Parliament

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2019

Copyright © 2019 Editorial matter and selection © Anna Visvizi, Miltiadis D. Lytras and György Mudri, published under exclusive licence. Individual chapters © the respective Authors.

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78769-846-8 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-78769-845-1 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-78769-847-5 (Epub)

List of Figures

Chapter 1
Figure 1. Smart Village: The Three Pillars of the Comprehensive Approach to Smart Village. 4
Figure 2. Smart Villages: From Needs to Targeted and Effective Policymaking. 5
Chapter 4
Figure 1. A Methodology for the Design of a Smart Strategy. 54
Figure 2. The ‘Three Magnets’ Theory – Garden City Model. 56
Figure 3. Benefits of Living in a Smart Village. 57
Chapter 5
Figure 1. LEADER Principles. 68
Figure 2. Potential Actions in Smart Village Plans. 71
Figure 3. Mapping Rural Innovation and Policy Tools. 73
Chapter 10
Figure 1. Basic Concepts of 6th Industrialization. 149
Chapter 11
Figure 1. GCC Population Distribution and Estimation (2018–2030). 160
Figure 2. GCC Population, Urban and Rural, in 2018. 161
Figure 3. GCC Population, Urban and Rural, in 2018, 2025, and 2030 161

List of Tables

Chapter 1
Table 1. Smart Villages: Typology of Challenges and the Corresponding Urgency of Action. 2
Chapter 5
Table 1. Distinctive Characteristics between Smart Villages and LEADER. 69
Chapter 10
Table 1. Agricultural and Rural Investment Plans in Korea (1991 to 2017). 144
Table 2. Rural Tourism Programs in Korea in the Post-productivist Era. 146
Chapter 11
Table 1. GCC Population, Urban and Rural Areas. 160

About the Authors

Daniel Azevedo, Director at Copa and Cogeca, graduated in Biophysics Engineering – Environmental Management and Planning from Universidade deÉvora, Portugal. Daniel Azevedo is Director in the Commodities and Trade team of Copa and Cogeca, an agricultural lobby representing almost 70 national farm organizations and cooperatives in Europe. He is a natural resources engineer graduating from the University of Évora (Portugal) and currently is the Coordinator of Copa and Cogeca Task Force on agricultural technology. He was previously working for DG Agriculture and Rural Development after specializing in agro-environmental measures in SLU University (Sweden). Mr Azevedo comes from a family producing wine and olive oil in Vila Real (Douro region) in Portugal.

Benaouda Bensaid, PhD, is Associated Faculty at College of Art and Science, Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dr Bensaid earned his PhD from the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, Canada.

Tayeb Brahimi, PhD, is Assistant Professor at College of Engineering, Effat University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He received his PhD (1992) from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Canada. His current research interests relate to renewable energy, sustainability, green engineering, engineering education, quality assurance, and integrating Islamic innovative heritage into the higher education curricula.

Pedro Brosei is Senior Local and Rural Development Expert, Thematic & Territorial Coordinator at the Fisheries Areas Network (FARNET) Support Unit, and Advisor (volunteer) to the Portuguese Presidency of the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) during 2018–2019. Pedro was also Vice-president of ELARD (2016–2017). Previously, he was Horizontal Coordinator for LEADER/CLLD in the European Commission DG AGRI from 2008 to 2014. During this time, he was responsible for the analysis and development of the LEADER/CLLD approach within DG AGRI. Prior to that, he worked as a Coordinator in the European LEADER +  Observatory (2004–2008) and the German LEADER+  Network Unit (2002–2004).

Christiane Kirketerp de Viron is Civil Servant at the European Commission. Christiane is a Political Scientist. She joined the European Commission in 2006 and currently serves as Member of Cabinet to the Commissioner for Research Science and Innovation. Prior to this, she was responsible for the conception of rural development policy and for the development of the smart villages initiative within the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Andrej Kos, PhD, is Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, UL, and Head of Laboratory for telecommunications. His research work focuses on IoT, digitalization, broadband networks (in rural areas) and the use of distributed ledger technologies in industry. He is Head of Innovation Commission at the University of Ljubljana.

Lee, Seongwoo is Professor at Seoul National University in Korea since 1998. He received his PhD degree in Planning from the University of Southern California in USA. His research interests are rural development strategy, housing, policy evaluation, and spatial econometrics models.

Miltiadis D. Lytras, PhD, is Research Professor at Deree College – The American College of Greece, and Visiting Researcher at Effat University. Researcher, Editor, Lecturer, and Consultant, Dr Lytras’ expertise covers issues pertinent to the broad field defined by cognitive computing, information systems, technology-enabled innovation, social networks, computers in human behavior, and knowledge management. In his work, Dr Lytras focuses on bringing together advances in ICT and knowledge management to advance socioeconomic sustainability and citizens’ well-being.

Higinio Mora received his PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of Alicante (Spain) in 2003. His areas of research interest include computer modeling, embedded systems, internet of things, and cloud computing paradigm. His work has been published in international journals and conferences, with more than 100 published papers.

György Mudri is MSc Agronomist, majoring in both Genetics and Biotechnology from Szent István University of Hungary and Stuttgart-Hohenheim; he has a NLD HBO Engineers Degree in International Rural Innovation and Development from the Netherlands. He is Rural Development Expert, working as Advisor and Accredited Parliamentary Assistant (APA) in the European Parliament. Prior to that, he was a Candidate MEP. He has also worked as Policy Officer at the European Commission (DG AGRI), and was Personal Secretary and later Advisor to the Candidate Prime Minister in Hungary and Policy Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Hungary.

Enrique Nieto is Senior Expert on territorial development policies in the European Association for Information on Local Development (AEIDL). As AEIDL expert, Enrique is engaged in the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) since 2015 as Policy Analyst. Previously, he was Consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations (FAO; 2012), Evaluation Officer in the Evaluation Helpdesk of the ENRD (2013–2014), and Policy Officer in the Fisheries Areas Network (FARNET; 2014–2015).

Park, Jonghoon received his PhD degree in Economics from Seoul National University in February 2019. He is Lecturer in SungKyul University in Korea. His research interests are in the fields of regional development and planning focusing on rural policy, housing, aging and welfare.

Raquel Pérez-delHoyo completed her PhD from the University of Alicante. Dr Pérez-delHoyo is Architect and Specialist in urban planning, with a PhD in Architecture, City, Civil Works, and Their Construction. She is Lecturer at Urban Design and Regional Planning Unit, University of Alicante. She develops research on urban planning, smart cities, and inclusive cities. Her main area of interest is humanization of smart cities, including the development of models focused on people to improve the design and planning of smart cities.

Emilija Stojmenova Duh, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, UL. Her research work focuses on user centred design, design thinking, open innovation and digitalisation for rural development. She is Coordinator of FabLab Network Slovenia and Director of Digital Innovation Hub Slovenia.

Xenia Szanyi-Gyenes is PhD Candidate at the University of Corvinus, Budapest. Her thesis is about ‘The Prospects and Opportunities of Small Companies to Enter the International Market.’ She has gained relevant work experience as Investment Adviser at a venture capital fund by working with small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Anna Visvizi, PhD, is Associate Professor at Deree College – The American College of Greece, and Visiting Researcher at Effat University. Researcher, Editor, Policy Advisor, and Lecturer, Dr Visvizi’s expertise covers issues pertinent to the intersection of politics, economics, and ICT, including multilateralism and international organizations (especially the European Union, NATO, the OECD, and the WTO), smart cities and smart villages, and migration. In her work, Dr Visvizi places emphasis on engaging academia, the think-tank sector and decision-makers in dialogue to ensure well-founded and evidence-driven policymaking.

James K.R. Watson is Secretary General of Eurogas, the European gas industry association, since January 2019. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of Solar Power Europe, the European solar industry association. He has worked for the Commonwealth Secretariat on a European Commission project on trade and sustainable development in Ethiopia and was Lecturer in Environmental Law at the University of Manchester. He holds a PhD in International Trade and Environmental Law from the University of Leeds, and is Visiting Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Marcin Wójcik, PhD, is Professor at the University of Lodz, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Department of Regional and Social Geography. He is the Author of publications on rural development, cultural landscape, local development, and socio-spatial diversities, and Manager of national and international projects. He is also Chairman of the Commission of Rural Areas of the Polish Geographical Society, Member of the Lodz Scientific Society and the Task Force for Rural Areas and Landscape of the Committee for Spatial Economy and Regional Planning (Polish Academy of Sciences).

Oskar Wolski is PhD Candidate at the University of Lodz, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Department of Regional and Social Geography. He is interested in rural development, local and regional development, and the selected issues of rural geography. He is Member of the Commission of Rural Areas of the Polish Geographical Society, and Expert of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) on Smart and Competitive Rural Areas (Thematic Group on Smart Villages) and of the Agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) on digitalization of rural areas.

Veronika Zavratnik is PhD Candidate at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. She is Researcher at the Laboratory for telecommunication, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, UL. Her research work focuses on material culture, rural development, smart communities, cultural heritage, and digital anthropology.

Editors’ Preface

Connecting the slopes of a valley hidden in the mountains of Arcadia (Peloponnese, Greece), the arch bridges in Fouskari stretching over the waters brought by three springs, are suggestive of how life might have looked like just a few decades back. The stone-curved aqueducts and tiny water basins remind us of the lifestyle and hardship the village inhabitants endured. But the view of the green slopes of the valley also seem to be reviving the laughter of girls and women meeting here in the past to do laundry or take a bath. Et in Arcadia Ego is a potent title of a seventeenth century painting by Nicolas Poussin. The idyllic representation of shepherds and the mystery that the painting conveys remind us of Virgil’s Arcadia and the archetypal pastoral milieu. Explored and described by Pausanias (110–180 AD), a land filled with treasures still waiting to be explored, Arcadia is a land bursting with myths of Gods, nymphs, and good charms. Located in direct vicinity of Ancient Olympia, it is a land poignant with thousand years of history, heroism, and courage curved in the walls of abandoned castles, and told over and over again by trees and rivers. But Arcadia is depopulating rapidly today. This book stems from our concern about Arcadia and its inhabitants; it derives from our commitment to revitalize the area and from our hope that it is feasible.

This book would not be possible without the Publisher who cordially embraced the book idea, the reviewers, and the contributing authors. Special ‘thank you’ is extended to the Editorial Assistant, Ms Anna Scaife, and the entire Emerald Publishing team.

We dedicate this book to Arcadia and the memories it brings,

The Editors: Anna Visvizi, Miltiadis D. Lytras, and György Mudri

Foreword

Smart Villages Approach for a Brighter Future of Rural Communities in the European Union

The European Union (EU) is an exemplary smart model, constantly investing in innovation and development. Along with this smart model and beyond the pure economic advantages, the quality of life of people has always been the key force behind the EU policymaking. However, the impact of these efforts has been different in urban and rural areas. Therefore, today, there is a clear need for a new integrated, innovative approach to rural areas in the EU. This approach can be best termed as ‘smart villages’ approach.

The expansion of ICT-enhanced applications and services enable societies to improve their opportunities and improve their attractiveness and the quality of life not only in urban but in rural areas as well. We see many twenty-first century innovations in our constituencies; innovations, that are usually a little bit more and a little bit quicker in urban areas. People dealing with rural areas sense it for a while, even before the concrete actions appeared in the form of the smart villages concept.

Of course, one may wonder: what exactly does ‘smart’ mean for us as politicians in the smart villages concept? Is it life, water, energy, community, or food? Is it the technology, the ways and means, or the status? What do villages, or rural areas in the concept actually stand for?

Our first answer is that there are different smart elements, which definitely share some common layers. Their meaning, however, may differ in different parts of our globe. But being smart definitely is about intelligent applications, the various interactions of the existing and new technologies, and also the efficient use of big data analysis adjustments. The concept of smart villages does not propose a one-size-fits-all solution. It is territorially sensitive, based on the needs and potential of a given territory, and strategy-led, supported by new or existing territorial strategies. In addition, when talking about European villages, and rural areas, we do not solely mean the 22 million EU farmers, or people working directly in the agricultural sector. More than half of the EU’s land area is within regions classified as predominantly rural. More than 112 million people inhabit these areas. We are happy to welcome and commend many EU objectives under different funds and policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy, related to innovation, digitalization, transformation, and modern rural life in the EU.

At the same time, we can extend the approach to become global, as rural areas face specific challenges that need specific solutions everywhere. Aging populations, lack of services (medical, postal, health, transport, and energy), and limited broadband must all be addressed. Ensuring digital access can help sustain a healthy agriculture sector that in turn can help rural areas stem themselves against depopulation, and help them retain young people. The concept sets out to create liveable villages, where people can and want to settle, because innovative, interconnected digital solutions improve their lifestyles. New business models, and platforms based on shared economy, currently concentrated in urban areas, are the best examples. However, this is just the beginning. The authors of this book described various technologies for completing this particular smart project, reflecting the many layers involved. We are hopeful that this approach helps you to grasp the complexity of this concept.

The smart villages concept has been proposed and successfully launched to a niche for the sake of rural areas, not only in the EU but also in the global arena as well. We had various discussions and consultations with different stakeholders including laymen and highly specialized academics and rural development practitioners. It has been pushed forward by our common efforts, by our persistent fight for the smart villages concept. We have been actively promoting this concept via a pilot project and preparatory actions since 2015. Indeed, we believe that smart villages offer the best way forward for a sustainable realization of the vision outlined in the Cork Declaration, while rural areas face a real and complex challenge. A challenge that needs to be tackled by a smart approach needs to pay exact attention to mitigate the digital divide between rural and urban areas and to develop the potential offered by connectivity and digitization of rural areas. Besides that, the need for integrated approaches and the complementarity and coherence interaction between different policy fields already emerged in this declaration. Throughout our common work, involving many publications, and the motivation of even more articles, we have always enjoyed inspiration from academics, from practitioners, and from a wide array of different stakeholders.

As generally perceived – and as we see it – this should be the role of Members of the European Parliament: representing the interest of the people, listening to their needs, translating, and further elaborating these needs with the help of the academics and practitioners. This assures that, at the end of the day, these new tools find their manifestation in (European) legislation. As politicians, we need to identify the needs that are important for future development. We must also acknowledge that many innovations here in Brussels are the results of input and feedback from our constituencies. Brussels has the potential to become a ‘European Silicon Valley’ not only at the legislative level. Read this book and you will become more familiar also with the process of idea-to-legislation practices.

Revitalizing rural communities and making them more attractive and sustainable is possible by using the full potential of information and communication technology. We believe that offering business opportunities, making rural areas more attractive for investors, and enabling farmers and other local actors to use their potential are the key to build successful rural communities. But the story cannot stop here; it is visible that more work needs to be done on this field and hopefully we will all have the opportunity to continue this useful and expected complex development approach.

We are personally satisfied, as over the past five years, our efforts as Members of the European Parliament were focused on building consensus around the necessity of rural areas and rural communities. We are grateful for the support we have received from several EU Commissioners in office, as well as from their Directorate-Generals, with our special thanks being extended to Mr Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, and to the colleagues from DG AGRI.

We are equally grateful to all the outstanding authors of this book for their time and dedication, and especially to Dr Anna Visvizi, Dr Miltiadis D. Lytras and Mr György Mudri, the book Editors, for being the engines of this project!

Please read this excellent book, and join us in the effort to make rural areas truly successful again!

Tibor Szanyi and Franc Bogovic

Members of the European Parliament Initiators of the Smart Villages’ Projects in the European Parliament

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