Researchers from the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS), Institute of Economics and Rural Development (IERD), have published a new international scientific monograph, Human Settlement in the Service Economy Era: An Evolutionary Perspective, released by Springer Nature as part of the Palgrave Advances in Bioeconomy: Economics and Policies book series.
The monograph brings together an international team of researchers from the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research. The publication presents an innovative perspective on how human settlements should evolve in response to profound economic, social, and environmental transformations.
The authors argue that traditional sustainability approaches alone are no longer sufficient to address today's interconnected global challenges. Instead, the book introduces an evolutionary framework for understanding the future of human settlements, emphasizing the growing importance of the service economy, post-industrial development, and the integration of economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Through theoretical insights and practical case studies, the monograph proposes six strategic pathways for designing more resilient, adaptive, and future-oriented settlements.
The publication addresses a significant research gap by examining the implications of the service economy for the evolution of human settlements. While service-based business models have received increasing attention in recent decades, their broader societal and spatial impacts have remained relatively underexplored. By combining interdisciplinary research with practical examples, the monograph offers valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, urban and regional planners, and all those interested in sustainable territorial development and the future of communities.
The book was authored by Dalia Vidickienė, Rita Lankauskienė, Rasa Melnikienė, Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, Vitalija Simonaitytė (Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences), Paweł Chmieliński (Polish Academy of Sciences), and Goda Lukoševičiūtė (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research).
The publication is available through Springer Nature:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-19390-2