Ambiguous and Complex – Rural Revival in a Peripheral Mountain Region (SW Poland)

Abstract The general development conditions of rural areas have been addressed by many authors; however, the conditions and factors that allow the depopulated problem rural areas to re‐enter the development path are an understudied phenomenon. This article examines the types and drivers of rural revival, evaluates the transformations of rural areas and forecasts their future development. It focuses on a representative region for the key transformations of mountainous rural areas in the Polish‐Czech borderland. This study offers a complex, interdisciplinary approach using quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the in‐depth mechanisms of rural transformation and to vocalise local knowledge and inhabitants' perceptions. The results demonstrate that the depopulated and marginalised peripheral rural regions have the potential to return to the development path, but the symptoms, drivers and perceptions of rural transformations vary greatly across the region. The study highlights the complexity and ambiguity of assessing, evaluating and forecasting rural transformations.