Tradition and innovation in Mediterranean inner rural areas. The role of sustainable technology on preserving traditional architecture and creating Smart Villages comparing Palermo and Valencia
Submitted: 2025-12-29
|Accepted: 2026-02-19
|Published: 2026-04-30
Copyright (c) 2026 VLC arquitectura. Research Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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Keywords:
Smart Villages, Smart Rehabilitation, Mediterranean rural architecture, Inner areas, Sustainable building technologies
Supporting agencies:
Abstract:
The objective of this research is to explore pathways for the creation of Smart Villages in the
Mediterranean context, with a focus on the Madonie Park—an extensive area comprising 21 municipalities
within a UNESCO Global Geopark—and the Province of Castellón in Valencia. These rural territories are currently
affected by depopulation, demographic decline, and limited employment opportunities. Through a comparative
methodology applied to the villages of Polizzi Generosa and Morella, the study investigates technological
implementations in buildings and public spaces able to demonstrate how sustainability and technological
innovation can coexist with the preservation of architectural heritage, local history, and cultural identity. The
results show that the ‘intelligence’ of these places lies in their capacity to achieve high standards of quality of life
without altering the intrinsic values of protected and well-preserved environments. By integrating tradition and
innovation, these villages can offer a contemporary and sustainable model of living, providing an alternative to
the dynamics of large metropolitan centres. The scientific contribution of this study lies in proposing a replicable
smart rehabilitation workflow tailored to Mediterranean inner rural contexts, grounded in comparative
typological analysis and compatible technological integration.
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