Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder: A Logistic Regression Analysis of Sustainability and Locality as Competitive Vehicles for Human Settlements

The sustainability of settlements is determined not only by local ecological quality or availability of green spaces, but also by a wide array of architectural and heritage parameters that contribute to local quality of life and the beauty/attractiveness of settlements in both rural and urbanized areas. As towns and villages are both ecological resources and the resource of locality, i.e. heritage and traditions, this calls for creative ideas to ensure that they are sustainable and competitive in modern economies. The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of such creative practices and dynamics of settlements, with a special focus on the ‘Associations of the Most Beautiful Villages’ in France and Italy. The paper first focuses on the critical parameters of a locality related to the attractiveness of villages from the perspective of visitors and then evaluates the role of the above mentioned Associations from the perspective of the local population. Data and information used in this study are derived from in- depth questionnaires filled out by relevant experts from 32 villages in France and Italy. In order to achieve this aim, a multivariate statistical technique, viz. logistic regression, is used. This study presents the preliminary results of the analysis of the roles of non- profit organizations in the marketing of settlements regarding their performance in terms of creativity, innovativeness and competitiveness. These results emphasize the importance of locality, showing that locality in a traditional sense remains as a critical factor to attract people and to compete in an open market. The results also show that the above-mentioned Associations play a crucial role in the sustainable development of villages, while at the same time creating for villages an attractive image as perceived by both the local population and visitors.