SUSTAINABLE VILLAGES: REPLICABLE CONCEPTS, PRACTICES AND MODELS IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

Abstract

This article analyzes international experiences of sustainable villages as alternatives to the hegemonic development model, focusing on their replicable practices and the challenges encountered in different territorial contexts. The study adopts an integrative literature review methodology, with a time frame from 2021 to 2023, selecting twelve open-access scientific articles that document initiatives implemented in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. A qualitative categorical analysis was conducted based on five dimensions: environment, governance, culture, technology, and economy. The findings reveal recurrent patterns such as the use of clean energy, participatory governance, agroecology, adaptive architecture, and community-based education, identifying these as core elements for sustainability and model adaptability. Nevertheless, the study also highlights key replication barriers such as poor infrastructure, lack of public policies, cultural mismatches, and dependence on external funding. It concludes that sustainable villages should not be seen as fixed models, but rather as spaces of experimentation and transformation, offering plural pathways for ecological regeneration and community strengthening at the local scale.