The Rural Renewal Program as a Source of Financing Small Architecture Forms Increasing the Chances of Rural Development (The Case Study of the Opolskie Province)

Abstract

Rural renewal as a method of development is one of the ways to achieve development goals, understood not only in the context of improving the quality of infrastructure, but improving, in a broad sense, the quality of life, which will not be achieved without residents’ involvement.

The aim of the article is to present the Rural Renewal Program (the case study of the Opolskie Province) as a source of financing small architecture forms making the rural area more attractive, which can be expressed by the number of material undertakings (including small architecture forms) implemented by individual rural administrative units and their value.

In order to achieve the goal, the reports of rural councils (about 600 per year) on the implementation of the Rural Renewal Program (in years 2013–2015) were analyzed. Rural renewal, initiated in the Opolskie Province as early as 20 years ago, is the longest-running program for activating local communities and, at the same time, the first program that applied the long-term strategic planning method at the rural level. The process of rural renewal significantly stimulates local communities and builds society. Activation of residents entails the emergence of new cultural, recreational-integrational, educational and renovation projects. These activities restore identity, integrate residents and increase the value of rural life.