Nachhaltigkeit und Regionen – die Renaissance ländlicher Räume?

How can Quality of Life be Achieved in a Sustainable Way? Perceptions of Swiss Rural Inhabitants

“…The benefits for SQoL placed in the category "economic structures" shows that a relatively large proportion of the rural inhabitants interviewed consider structural economic changes to be essential for SQoL. This echoes, for example, Höflehner and Meyer [17] who recommend the promotion of regional value chains using decentralised technologies. The public perception of high-quality regional and seasonal food, farm shops and weekly markets can lead to social trends and shifts in values [17].…”

“…This echoes, for example, Höflehner and Meyer [17] who recommend the promotion of regional value chains using decentralised technologies. The public perception of high-quality regional and seasonal food, farm shops and weekly markets can lead to social trends and shifts in values [17]. The resultant increase in added value created through local products provides local actors with economic opportunities that are both, realistic and sustainable [17,58,59].…”

“…The public perception of high-quality regional and seasonal food, farm shops and weekly markets can lead to social trends and shifts in values [17]. The resultant increase in added value created through local products provides local actors with economic opportunities that are both, realistic and sustainable [17,58,59]. Appreciation of the local services, the community, culture and identity associated with these products can contribute to social and cultural innovations and charitable activities [17].…”

“…A major trend towards urbanisation occurred during the twentieth century and Europe's rural regions have undergone major structural changes in recent decades [15,16]. In many cases, these structural changes include socio-demographic changes, such as the ageing of the population; socio-economic changes, such as a decline of the employed individuals in agriculture; and cultural changes, caused by globalisation and urbanisation [17]. The challenges regarding QoL are particularly prominent in the service sector and the provision of infrastructure: in job security, care and health services and public transport [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

“…In addition, rural areas offer a high potential for the implementation of sustainable regional economic approaches and value creation through regional and seasonal products. Furthermore, rural areas can encourage a lifestyle in which cultural heritage, identity, originality and self-determination, as well as "community-based and charitable action", play a more important role than consumption [17].…”