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.
TopMethodology
The paper is divided into three sections. The first part presents a theoretical and historical background, which elaborates the global and local context of problems and processes of transformation of urban and rural landscapes, and the key theoretical terms and concepts that lead to the creation of models for the regeneration of shrinking areas. The second part investigates the shrinking conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis of the proposed analytical model, which follows in the sequel. The final part of the paper presents the e-co model, explains its principles and characteristics, defines its possibilities for application, as well as spatial patterns advocated by the model - urban rurality and rural urbanity.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Brownfield: Previously developed or built-up spaces in a state of visible abandonment and inefficient use, with the capacity for renewal and sustainable development.
Rural Urbanity: The presence in villages and peri-urban areas of modern forms of the organization of work and living inherent in towns that offer the experience of the urban life in rural areas.
E-Lance Economy: New type of economy based on fluid, virtual networks, where independent e-lancers use the Internet to sell their services or work to network and exploit specific business opportunities.
Shrinkage: A multidimensional issue affecting towns, villages and whole regions, manifested by demographic decline, economic loss and urban tissue perforation.
E-CO Model: A focused strategic approach based on the e-lance economy, community cohesion, and eco-friendly design.
Urban Rurality: The presence in towns and peri-urban areas of traditional forms of the organization of work and living inherent in villages that offer the experience of the rural life in urban areas.
Urban-Rural Synergy: The integration of rural values and urban advantages, of the modern global and the traditional local, which traces its roots in the processes of rural urbanization and urban ruralization.
Peri-Urban Settlement: Settlements located at the edge of towns, areas between the town and the village, and between towns. They are characterized by dispersed, conurbation form of perforated built-up areas, and the presence of pseudo-urban forms.
Perforated Area: A developed area affected by the shrinking processes with a number of abandoned, underused, and neglected buildings, the so-called brownfields.