The Smart Village guide is now available in English !

Le guide « Smart village, vers un modèle français au service des territoires ruraux » est maintenant disponible en anglais :

This guide "Smart village, for a French model to serve rural regions" was published in French a few months ago. We wanted to make it accessible to as many people as possible, and to share with you the methodology and explanations behind the Smart Village approach, as well as presenting the real ambitious projects described in this document. So here's the English translation of the Smart Village guide !

The aim of the guide is to explain the Smart Village approach and facilitate its adoption by local authorities, and its deployment in rural areas. We wanted it to be as educational and practical as possible. It therefore contains sheets in the form of questions to ask yourself, checklists, advice and landmarks, as well as many testimonials from players and feedback from experience," explains Céline Dacy, Project Manager at ADRETS. The document is primarily intended for rural elected representatives and local authority technicians but also to associations involved in rural development. "As Smart Villages are part of a process of decompartmentalizing players, we wanted this guide to be aimed at a wide range of players," confirms Céline Dacy. The guide is divided into five main sections : « What exactly is meant by Smart Village », « Milestones », « Resources », « Players’ words and initiatives », «  Lessons to be learned ».

Five guiding principles for "doing" Smart village

Introduced in 2016, the Smart Village concept has been the subject of an EU action plan and an ENRD working group. The first part of the book sheds light on this concept, which is still complex for territories to grasp. "Rather than concept, we have chosen the term "approach", because a Smart Village is a way to act on its territory. There is no single model, there are as many Smart Villages as there are territories, but it generally starts from a problem-solving culture : faced with a need, the community acts to find new solutions." The guide also insists on the incremental aspect of these approaches : "The aim is to quickly initiate the first actions."

The guide sets out five guiding principles. A Smart Village must be a territory : cooperative, based on citizen participation, connected, committed to a shared solutions approach. "It's not necessary to check all the principles, but to consider them as levers towards action and ways of doing that, as a whole, would qualify an ideal Smart Village," explains Céline Dacy.
 

HOW TO BUILD A SMART VILLAGE ?

Creating a common culture, creating a citizens' dynamic, initiating short-term actions while developing a long-term vision. Here are a few examples of tips for setting up a Smart Village approach presented in the second part of the guide, dedicated to methodological guidelines.

The guide also devotes an entire section to the role of digital technology and data. "It's an ambivalent subject: Smart Villages are part of the digital transition, but digital technology is only a tool at the service of the process, not an obligation. However, for us, it's an unavoidable question: we recommend that all territories develop a digital culture and, at the least, ask themselves the question of the use of digital tools and data."

Created at the initiative of the RRN, during 2022, and produced by ADRETS, the "Smart village, for a French model to serve rural regions" guide offers rural elected officials a methodology and concrete examples for implementing a Smart village approach in their area.