The Concept of Smart Villages

Drawing on the theme of the book on sustainable rural development leading to a climate-positive future, the concept of Smart Villages is at the epicentre, supporting an aspirational movement targeting the rural communities. This chapter aims first to highlight the current unsustainability in the development practice and then provide an overview of the concept of smart villages, including its origins, significance, and relevance in the context of sustainable rural development. Drawing from the previous chapter, where some of the pressing challenges faced by rural areas were discussed, this chapter outlines how a systemic application of the smart villages framework can address these issues in general contexts (Ranade et al., 2015; Doloi et al., 2019). The discussion also highlights how technology and innovation could be leveraged in the transformation processes of the rural areas. It encompasses the integration of digital infrastructure, smart grids, and IoT to enhance connectivity, efficiency, and service delivery. The chapter articulates and integrates emerging concepts on howsmart villages can establish a distinctive rural lifestyle, foster economic growth, improve public services, and promote sustainable living, and then contribute to maintaining a harmonised balance with their urban counterparts.