How can communities living together in rural areas be developed to ensure that they continue to exist and thrive? Much emphasis has been placed on innovation within urban areas. However, new research shows that rural communities can also play a pivotal role in generating solutions for sustainability. Using the village of Heckenbeck in southern Lower Saxony as an example, researchers from the University of Göttingen investigated what these communities need to continue to flourish. The results of the study were published in the journal Sustainability.