Pomysł na Smart Wieś. Projektowanie rozwiązań z wykorzystaniem Design Thinking
The idea for a Smart Village. Designing solutions using Design Thinking

Author(s): Katarzyna Zajda, Agnieszka Michalska-Żyła
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: Smart village; social innovations; social problems of rural residents; design thinking; workshops; local participation
Summary/Abstract: Implementing the Smart Villages concept is seen as an opportunity to improve the quality of life in rural areas and, consequently, reduce the scale of depopulation. A smart village is a resourceful village. It recognises its potential, diagnoses problems, and, utilising local resources, can address them, relying on the cooperation of residents and collaboration with various local and external entities. This publication aims to present Polish experiences in implementing the Smart Villages concept using the Design Thinking method, analyse good practices in this area, and provide all entities interested in Smart Villages with practical advice for implementing this concept. In this publication, we describe resourceful villages using research material collected in 2024-2025. Our workshops focused on solving social problems that young rural residents and seniors face.In this publication, readers will find a brief overview of the Smart Villages concept in the context of the quality of life in Polish rural areas, the Design Thinking method, its implementation stages, and tools that can be used during workshops for local communities using this method. We present: • The workshop process and examples of the developed concepts • Individual stages of work by local community representatives using the Design Thinking method • Difficult moments in this process • Questions and comments raised regarding the concepts developed during the workshops • Results of workshops conducted in the area supported by local action groups from various voivodeships that invited us to collaborate. The publication concludes with practical recommendations and tips for all individuals and entities interested in implementing the Smart Villages proposals.

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