Urban-Rural Synergy in Shrinking Regions Through Application of e-co Model

Abstract

Many regions worldwide are faced with the problem of shrinkage, manifested through demographic decline, economic loss, and perforation of the urban tissue. Starting from the assumption that the shrinking phenomenon is present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the research deals with the diagnosis of the shrinking condition in urban and rural areas of the northwest region of the country. In the light of the shrinkage problems, the chapter defines a new alternative model—e-co—which should enable the recovery from the crisis and restore the vitality of the region. The chance for recovery is recognized in the processes of rural urbanization and urban ruralization, the integration of rural values and urban advantages, the modern globality, and traditional locality.

Shrinking Rural Areas of Republic of Srpska

“…The development of alternative housing (and work) models, based on the premises advocated by this theory, is a chance and possible path for regeneration of villages. Vujičić and Simonović see this recovery in the implementation of the so-called e-co model, which is a focused strategic approach based on the eco-friendly design and lifestyle, e-lance economy, and community cohesion [19]. Criticising the hectic urban lifestyle, they advocate a return to rural life, where the target group is the urban population of young, (IT) educated people who are dissatisfied with life in developed urban centres and who are looking for alternative lifestyles.…”