118 Bartłomiej Buława, Michał Jagiełło, Aneta Kozińska-Kasparek, Ignacio Fernandez Torres
threats to ensure sustainable integration of digital nomads
into the local community.
In the region under study, the growing population of
digital nomads and proposed investments may contribute
to the degradation of the environment and surrounding
nature. In addition, new construction and transportation
projects are expected to disrupt the integrity of the orig-
inal rural agricultural landscape in the surroundings of
the Valverde de Burguillos because the proposed digital
nomad village is to be located outside the town. Exces-
sive commercialization may prioritize visual appeal over
valuable landscape qualities, while a focus on marketing
may overshadow the importance of preserving natural and
ecological aspects. One of the expected risks is the neglect
of natural and ecological values, as they are more dicult
to monetize, in favour of exploration of visual and aes-
thetic values reduced to a marketable product. In this case,
the landscape may lose its authentic visual and cultural
values. Another risk is that economically driven eorts to
attract digital nomads, such as the construction of desired
infrastructure and landscape transformations, may prove
to be a temporary solution. While the landscape and urban
structures of Valverde de Burguillos have been sustained
for a long time and this is expected to continue, we do not
know how long the trend of digital nomads and desired
destinations will last. The case of Valverde de Burguillos
shows that landscape acts as a guarantor of the continuity
of cultural heritage. By contrast, we are convinced that
digital nomads as individuals and groups can come and
disappear in one day, leaving the prepared infrastructure
useless. This may be due to other, just more attractive des-
tinations in Europe or anywhere else in the world (oering
competitive quality, living costs, or even tax solutions).
The opportunities and threats for small towns and
their surrounding landscapes (such as Valverde de Burguil-
los) arise from the way they are adapting to accommodate
digital nomads. In referred cases from Asia and Central
America, landscape and urban solutions that adapted facil-
ities and areas to the lifestyle of digital nomads overshad-
owed other aspects, including cultural and natural consid-
erations. This means that new factors shaping the future
work environment may have negative, counterproductive
eects. Consequently, the transformation to attract digital
nomads should simultaneously reinforce local values and
ensure that temporary needs are not met at the expense of
centuries of heritage. It is crucial to consider cultural and
landscape aspects alongside architectural and urban solu-
tions to create sustainable environments. Harnessing the
economic potential of local communities and preserving
authentic qualities can attract digital nomads while pro-
moting sustainable development, as seen in rural Spain
on the example of a web portal for digital nomads (Red
Nacional de Pueblos Acogedores “Buscas Un Pueblo…”).
This requires proactive analysis and assessment of the
opportunities and risks associated with the inux of re-
mote-working population to new areas. One such activity
is the research in question, with the students’ work serving
as a simulation of a possible scenario and its consequenc-
es as well as a source of ideas for the local community of
Valverde de Burguillos. It is desirable to establish principles
to the town activates the economy and social life while
mitigating adverse demographic trends and rural decline,
as outlined in the idea for Valverde de Burguillos. The so-
cial environment of the inhabitants will be rejuvenated and
will not be as hermetic as before. The rotation of nomads
also popularizes the place and increases appreciation of
landscape value. In the case of the idea for Valverde de
Burguillos, the surrounding landscapes are to be explored
by the new inhabitants (by walking, jogging, and biking).
Contact with nature fosters emotional bonds with the nat-
ural world, which increases the tendency to care for and
protect nature and the natural landscape (Cullinan 2011).
Additionally, regarding new investments in the second
stage of the project, important cultural heritage elements
and landscapes, such as the town itself and the surround-
ing Water Culture (as described in paragraph Valverde de
Burguillos and its landscapes; Fig. 6), are to be protected,
restored, and made available to visitors. In general, the
literature and analyses of popular destinations around the
world show that the growing number of professional vis-
itors is making towns and regions more recognizable, as
digital nomads are well-educated and have a wide range of
online contacts and friends. It facilitates the brand build-
ing of a particular landscape (town or region), which in-
creases the possibility of landscape assessment by people
from outside the town and region. Overall, the integration
of nomads in rural communities has signicant potential
for positive and sustainable development provided that
a balance is struck between the interests of business, ex-
ternal investments, local communities (in social and eco-
nomic aspects), and the trend of digital nomads.
Threats: Activities related to digital nomads can be
considered as a regeneration tool in depopulated Valverde
de Burguillos, but in many cases – in places that have al-
ready become very popular – they are considered as a deg-
radation factor contributing to over-tourism and gentri-
cation processes. An important threat to peripheral rural
landscapes of the Valverde de Burguillos in the context
of digital nomads includes the dominance of economic
priorities over cultural heritage and natural values, in-
cluding landscape. This applies not only to the economic
priorities of the local community of the town or digital no-
mads themselves but also to the economic priorities of the
global economy, including external investments focused
on, among others, rental income. Socially, this leads to an
economic monopoly that pushes locals out of business and
takes over urban centers as well as attractive districts and
areas in terms of housing and living spaces. This problem
is not yet visible in depopulated town Valverde de Bur-
guillos, but it seems that transforming a part of the town
into the Development Center, as proposed as a concept
under the question, would eliminate current local activity
(however poor) in this area and reduce its oer to resi-
dents, replacing it with other, probably more expensive,
services and activities. In general, there is a risk of disrup-
tion to the existing social structures and community ties;
moreover, the population of digital nomads uctuates, and
their community is unstable and organized on a short-term
basis compared to traditional multi-generational social
structures and social bonds. It is crucial to address these
