D.2.1.2 - PP11 Community Workshop in Stropkov: Co‑Creating Practical Solutions for Better Rural Living

In June, Danube4Rural.com partner 11 Take naše hosted a community workshop in Stropkov (Slovakia), together with the City of Stropkov.

What the community validated 💬

A clear message emerged: Stropkov already has a competitive quality-of-life offer for remote workers - family infrastructure, low cost of living, recreation, safety - but it is largely invisible outside the region.

Visibility, not new investment, was named as the dominant cross-cutting priority, alongside the need to frame any newcomer-targeted spending as a measurable investment rather than a cost to existing residents.

Key community‑endorsed directions 🌱

🏡 Housing was assessed as highly feasible and already partly underway, building on the municipality's planned rental housing (the BYHOS programme, new units on Hrnčiarska and Mier streets). The community favoured reallocating a share of these already‑planned units to remote workers through a change in allocation criteria.

🌳 Green & environmental policies scored high feasibility, anchored by the town's compact, walkable character and its natural assets — Domaša lake, forests, the Ondava river, existing cycling trails. Damaged sidewalks and the lack of a dedicated car-free path were named as the main barriers, with a car-free river promenade/cycle path and a "Green Map of Stropkov" proposed as near-term fixes.

🫶 Well‑being, recreation & culture scored the highest feasibility of all domains. The "Belong Here" / Work from Anywhere Festival concept was the most strongly validated idea of the whole session - including a concrete volunteer offer from a returning remote worker to act as cycling guide and testimonial contributor. A Remote Worker Welcome Package (guide, webpage, discount card) and a council-guaranteed kindergarten place for relocating families were flagged as low-cost, high-impact levers.

💻 Digital & co‑working infrastructure was rated moderately feasible - less a question of physical space, since the library already offers free internet access as an immediate "first coworking" option, than of securing a dedicated venue and financing model.

🎓 Public services & social infrastructure scored high on substance, held back mainly by poor communication: immediate kindergarten access, quality schools and sports clubs already give Stropkov a family-support advantage over larger cities, but this advantage isn't yet centralised or easy for newcomers to discover.

Participants agreed that a coordinated, visibility-first approach - reallocating existing housing stock, building the river promenade and Green Map, launching the Welcome Package and Work from Anywhere Festival, and securing a financing model for a community-driven coworking hub - would make Stropkov an attractive place to live and work remotely.