Sustainable and just transition of EU's rural areas: a comparison between smart and startup village

Rural areas are multifunctional spaces facing a wide range of challenges with great potential for sustainable development. In recent decades, social, economic, and climate changes have threatened rural communities causing various concerns. Despite this, rural regions, widely acknowledged and appreciated for their features, can offer new opportunities for an inclusive and sustainable growth, becoming key points in the green and sustainable transition. In this context, new and innovative models to improve living and working conditions of rural communities are spreading. Among them, the smart village and the startup village paradigms are two current examples, with rural areas claiming for achieving these labels. Both models have the objectives to promote just and sustainable rural development and guarantee the wellbeing of inhabitants, but at the same time the two approaches differ in some key elements. Thought a comparative analysis, this research aims to provide an insight on what the drivers for the regeneration of rural areas are, starting from a deeper understanding of the smart village and startup village models. Firstly, the definitions of the two models are investigated to delineate what features are essential or related either to the smart village concept, or the startup village one. Secondly, the study identifies similarities and differences between the two models, to underline limits and opportunities. The results of this research support the identification of key strategies to turn rural areas into innovative villages, thereby encouraging rural regeneration.