The Village Philharmonic on the Atlantic? Yes! And let the strategies of our communes also have them. Algarvia, São Miguel, Azores.

The strategies of rural communes in Poland and other CEE countries are full of intentions to build new roads, sewage systems, community centers, low emission heating sources, public transit connections, etc. Great, these are the foundations of a good life and economy. But can you ask for more? Can innovative services, the most modern companies, high culture – like in big cities – make sense in the countryside?

Of course NOT everywhere, NOT all of them, but YES! An example is Filarmónica Estrela do Oriente, which I found in the small village of Algarvia, on the island of São Miguel, far in the Atlantic. It is already 144 years old and try to imagine… it is NOT a business for tourists! The locals play it mainly for the locals, and the result is not only the pleasure of playing and listening, but their personal development and pride, the growth of interpersonal ties and trust, protection of tradition, cultural education, development of entrepreneurship, and even environmental protection. Such a rural philharmonic, therefore, produces the local human, social and cultural capital on which so much depends today. When building a strategy for the development of a rural commune, it is worth thinking about something exceptional, advanced, big-city, maybe seemingly crazy, but ultimately very beneficial for local development. Not everywhere, but it can work, and then …

By the way, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the idea of smart village. Maybe it will make a sensation like a smart city?