Nineteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The term “sustainable development” is explained by the World Economic Forum as development that improves the current living standards without sacrificing future generations, encompassing economic, environmental, and social aspects. With the fact that urban-rural movement tends to increase (Martin S. & Bergann J., 2021), these areas should not be left behind in achieving sustainable development. The rural-urban gap is heavily present in the literature, covering different perspectives of research, such as wellbeing (Lagakos, D. et al., 2018), health (Glauber, R., 2022), the social aspect of living (Zarifa, D. et al., 2019), the economy (Lagakos, D. 2020), business growth, and performance (Greenberg, Z. et al., 2018). Rundelet al. (2020) demonstrate that one of the possible solutions for achieving community resilience in such remote areas is through rural Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH). The strategy towards a sustainable and resilient community encompasses different elements such as social change (Zavratnik et al., 2019), technical and socio-economic approaches, related to the support of rural businesses in the digital economy (Tiwasing et al., 2022), new technologies and policies (Roberts, E. et al., 2017). This paper presents the role of rural DIHs in rural areas, supported by a case study of a rural DIH in Slovenia, as one of the possible solutions for achieving stronger and more resilient communities and a long-term sustainable future. This paper considers the effects of this technological solution on individuals, rural entities, and the community.